[ERT». 





WHY.  OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 


BY  HERBERT  STRANG 


IN  CLIVE'S  COMMAND 

Illustrated  by  William  Rainey 

Large  I2mo,  Cloth  $i-5o 

FIGHTING  ON  THE  CONGO 

Illustrated  by  William  Rainey 

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JACK  HARDY 

Illustrated  by  William  Rainey 

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ON  THE  TRAIL  OF  THE  ARABS 
Illustrated  by         Charles  M.  Sheldon 
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ROB  THE  RANGER 

Illustrated  in  Color  by  W.H.Margetson 
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THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 
INDIANAPOLIS 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 


By 

HERBERT  STRANG 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 

ARCH  WEBB 


INDIANAPOLIS 

THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT  1907 
THE  BOBBS-MERRILL  COMPANY 

OCTOBER 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I  JETSAM  .....'....i 

II  SEA-GIRT       .       .       .       ...       .       .       .14 

III  A  WRECK — AND  MIRANDOLA     .       .       .       .       .      25 

IV  SALVAGE .       .       .38 

V  THE  EDGE  OF  THE  MARSH  .       .       .       .       .       .49 

VI  THE  SPANISH  WHIP      .       .       .       .       .       ;       .  60 

VII  AMOS  TURNPENNY 71 

VIII  HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 83 

IX  AMOS  TELLS  His  STORY 106 

X  THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE         .       .       .       .121 

XI  THE  MAIN 140 

XII  BENEATH  THE  WALLS 162 

XIII  THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 179 

XIV  VAE  VICTIS           194 

XV  A  STERN  CHASE 213 

XVI  JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER .226 

XVII  THE  DEMI-CULVERIN  ......    243 

XVIII  JUAN  THE  MAROON 255 

XIX  DRAKE'S  CAMP 266 

XX  A  RAID  THROUGH  THE  FOREST         ....    275 

XXI  MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 295 

XXII  A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS      ......    308 

XXIII  BOMBARDED 322 

XXIV  THE  LEAGUER  OF  SKELETON  CAVE  .       .       .       .331 
XXV  THE  MULE-TRAINS 349 

CONCLUSION          364 


2132826 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 


ON   THE  SPANISH   MAIN 


CHAPTER    I 

V.  ** 

JETSAM 

Daybreak!  But,  eastward,  no  glory  of  dawn.  Black, 
thunderous  clouds  roll  sullenly  across  a  livid  sky,  riven 
at  moments  by  pale  zigzags  of  flame.  Rain  tumbles  in 
cascades.  League  upon  league  of  white-crested  waves 
chase  one  another  in  fury,  hissing,  roaring  as  they  hurl 
themselves  upon  a  stubborn  shore,  only  to  be  broken  and 
thrown  back  into  the  seething  turmoil.  The  wind  out- 
strips them,  shrieking  as  it  cleaves  a  way  through  the 
massed  foliage,  in  mad  haste  to  reach  the  mainland  and 
smite  the  yielding  tops  of  Darien's  palms  and  pines. 

The  shelving,  sandy  beach  is  strewed  with  the  jetsam 
of  the  storm :  here,  a  tangled  heap  of  seaweed,  left  by 
a  breaker  when,  spent  with  its  own  rage,  it  falls  back 
baffled ;  there,  a  log  'of  wood ;  hard  by  nameless  creatures 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

of  the  sea,  destroyed  by  the  fury  of  their  own  element; 
and  here,  high  up  the  strand,  beneath  a  bank  overgrown 
with  large-leaved  plants,  lies  a  human  form,  huddled, 
motionless. 

The  waves  do  not  touch  it  now;  the  storm  has  ex- 
hausted itself,  the  tide  is  ebbing.  Minute  by  minute  the 
sea  becomes  less  boisterous;  the  strip  of  sand  widens; 
the  rain  ceases.  By  and  by  the  sun  breaks  through  the 
eastern  sky,  and,  gathering  strength,  disperses  the  linger- 
ing clouds  and  flings  his  radiance  over  the  scene.  His 
beams,  falling  aslant  through  a  gap  in  the  cliffs,  strike 
upon  the  draggled  form  on  the  sand;  it  stirs  slightly, 
stretching  itself  as  a  leaf  uncurls.  At  last,  when  the  air 
quivers  with  heat,  and  all  things  lie  under  a  shimmering 
haze,  Dennis  Hazelrig  heaves  a  sigh,  opens  his  eyes,  and 
looks  amazedly  about  him. 

His  eyes  close;  for  some  minutes  he  remains  still; 
then  he  lifts  himself  slightly,  falls  back  with  a  gasp,  and 
lies  again  as  one  dead.  But  nature  is  recovering  under 
the  beneficent  rays.  Pigeons  are  cooing  in  the  branches 
above ;  parrots  are  screaming ;  insects  drone  their  burden ; 
and  when  a  mosquito,  adventuring  forth,  alights  on  the 
human  cheek,  and  tastes,  Dennis  is  stung  once  more  into 
consciousness.  He  starts  up,  brushes  the  marauder  away, 
staggers  to  his  feet,  and,  to  prevent  himself  from  falling, 
clutches  at  a  tuft  of  grass  in  the  overhanging  bank.  Its 
thin,  blade-like  edge  draws  blood  from  his  hand,  and 
he  looks  at  the  red  stain  as  at  some  strange  phenomenon. 

2 


JETSAM 

Then  he  laughs  huskily,  checks  the  sound  as  though  it, 
too,  is  unfamiliar,  and  laughs  again — a  short,  sobbing 
laugh. 

"Certes,  I  am  alive !"  he  mutters. 
\ 

An  hour  or  two  passed  before  Dennis  ventured  once 
more  to  try  his  tottering  legs.  The  sun's  heat  had  dried 
his  clothes,  which,  as  he  ruefully  observed,  had  been  so 
rent  by  the  buffeting  waves  that  they  hung  upon  him 
precariously.  But  in  the  same  genial  warmth  his  strength 
was  returning,  and  though  all  his  body  ached,  he  could 
now  move  without  a  stagger.  Catching  sight  of  some 
clams  near  him,  he  was  conscious  of  a  vast  emptiness 
within,  and  felt  for  the  clasp-knife  which  he  was  wont 
to  wear  slung  about  his  waist.  It  still  hung  upon  its 
chain.  He  had  opened  and  eaten,  ravenously,  a  dozen 
of  the  shell-fish  before  he  realized  that,  after  all,  his 
thirst  exceeded  his  hunger,  and  he  looked  round  for  a 
spring  of  fresh  water.  He  walked  some  paces  along  the 
shore,  groaning  with  every  movement,  until  his  ear 
caught  the  musical  ripple  of  a  stream,  and  he  saw  a  rivu- 
let flowing  across  the  sand  from  a  narrow  watercourse 
in  the  cliff.  In  an  instant  he  was  down  on  his  knees, 
drinking  his  fill. 

Refreshed  with  the  draught,  he  rose  and  began  to  con- 
sider. He  was  alive — that  was  the  first  thing.  It  seemed 
marvelous  to  him.  The  tornado  had  ceased.  Looking 
round,  he  could  hardly  believe  that  the  sea  now  so  calm 

3 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

was  the  same  sea  which,  but  a  few  hours  before,  had 
been  a  raging  monster.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  scan, 
it  stretched  away,  shimmering  in  the  sunlight,  only  a 
white  crest  here  and  there  giving  sign  of  its  late  dis- 
turbance. Not  a  sail  broke  the  line  of  the  horizon.  What 
had  become  of  the  Maid  Marian  and  her  crew  and  his 
companion  adventurers  on  board?  Had  they,  had  any 
of  them,  been  cast  ashore,  like  himself,  on  some  other 
part  of  this  strange  coast?  If  he  had  escaped,  why  not 
others?  There  was  something  cheering  in  the  thought, 
and  instinctively  he  braced  himself  for  a  search,  when  a 
recollection  of  that  awful  night — the  amazing  sudden- 
ness of  the  blast  that  struck  the  bark,  rending  the  sails 
like  ribbons,  snapping  the  mainmast  like  a  reed,  the 
tumultuous  waves,  the  crashing  thunder,  the  bursts  of 
lightning,  the  deluge  that  poured  down  from  the  heavens 
— as  he  remembered  these  battling  elements  he  shuddered 
involuntarily;  could  it  be  otherwise  than  by  a  miracle 
that  he  had  survived? 

He  lived  over  again  his  last  conscious  moments.  The 
mainmast -had  gone  by  the  board.  He  heard  the  hoarse 
shout  of  Miles  Barton,  the  master,  calling  upon  the  men  to 
cut  away  the  wreckage.  He  was  with  them  at  the  task, 
struggling  to  keep  his  feet,  when  the  gallant  vessel  stag- 
gered under  the  onslaught  of  a  tremendous  sea,  and  he 
was  swept  off  her  deck.  He  heard  cries  all  around  him, 
but  could  see  nothing  for  the  darkness  and  the  blinding 
rain.  Striving  to  keep  his  head  above  water,  he  felt 

4 


JETSAM 

his  strength  failing,  so  puny  was  it  against  the  might 
of  the  passionate  waves,  when  he  encountered  a  floating 
spar,  and  clung  to  it  with  the  tenacity  of  despair.  After 
that  he  knew  nothing.  His  grip  must  have  relaxed,  for 
the  spar  was  not  near  him  when  he  awoke  to  conscious- 
ness on  the  beach.  Yet  it  seemed  that  this  had  been  his 
salvation.  He  must  have  held  to  it  until  near  the  shore ; 
then  some  mountainous  breaker  had  torn  him  away  and 
hurled  him  to  the  spot  where  he  had  lately  opened  his 
eyes  again  upon  the  world. 

Hapless  bark!  It  was  scarcely  possible  that  she  had 
survived  the  hurricane.  And  what  of  the  souls  on  board 
with  him  ?  What  of  Miles  Barton,  the  bluff  sea-dog,  her 
master,  his  cheery  crew,  and  the  score  of  gallant  gentle- 
men who  had  sailed  out  of  Plymouth  Sound  but  two 
months  before,  gay,  high-hearted  adventurers '  for  the 
Spanish  Main?  Where  was  Sir  Martin  Blunt,  the  blithe 
captain  of  the  band,  and  Philip  Masterton,  and  Harry 
Greville,  and  Francis  Tring,  all  young  men  of  mettle, 
whom  Dennis  was  proud  to  call  his  friends,  and  who, 
though  but  little  his  elders  in  years,  had  seen  and  done 
things  in  the  great  world  that  made  him  burn  with 
envious  admiration?  Alas!  he  could  not  but  fear  that 
the  adverse  fate  from  which  he  had  so  marvelously 
escaped  had  surely  overtaken  them,  and  that  they  had 
been  swallowed  by  the  sea. 

But  then  again  came  the  thought:  might  not  fortune 
have  befriended  them,  too?  Why  imagine  the  worst? 

5 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

And  Dennis  thrust  sad  thoughts  from  his  mind;  hope 
was  not  dead.  His  meal  had  given  him  strength  to 
search,  and  search  he  would. 

He  looked  about  him.  The  sandy  beach  was  narrow. 
It  was  overhung  by  cliffs  of  varying  height,  in  parts 
merely  a  low  bank,  in  parts  reaching  an  altitude  of  per- 
haps forty  or  fifty  feet.  They  were  covered  with  the 
dense  vegetation  of  the  tropics.  Some  distance  to  the 
north  of  where  he  stood  the  receding  tide  had  left  bare 
a  long  ledge  of  massive  rock,  running  up  into  the  highest 
part  of  the  cliff.  To  the  south  the  shore  was  less  rocky, 
and  within  half  a  mile  curved  round  to  the  east.  It 
was  in  this  direction  that  he  decided  to  go. 

But  he  had  not  walked  far  along  the  glistening  sand 
when  he  suddenly  bethought  himself.  Signs  of  life  there 
had  yet  been  none,  save  the  cries  of  birds  from  the  trees 
above  him.  But  what  if  he  came  upon  a  fishing  village, 
and  found  himself  among  enemies — the  wild  men  of 
whom  he  had  heard;  the  Spaniards,  of  whose  terrible 
deeds  returning  navigators  made  such  grim  tales  for  the 
winter  nights  at  home  ?  Where  was  he  ?  On  some  shore 
of  the  Caribbean  Sea,  he  made  no  doubt,  for  only  the 
day  before,  when  the  Maid  Marian  was  sailing  merrily 
westward,  Sir  Martin  had  declared,  and  old  Miles  had 
borne  him  out,  that  but  a  few  more  days  would  bring 
them  to  the  point  where  they  expected  to  meet  other 
adventurers,  who  had  preceded  them  on  the  same  quest 
for  excitement  and  gain. 

6 


JETSAM 

And  Dennis  halted  as  one  dazed  when  the  full  sense 
of  his  calamity  was  borne  in  upon  him.  He  was  alone! 
— alone!  There  might  be,  for  all  he  knew,  thousands 
of  people  almost  within  hail  of  him;  but  he  was  none 
the  less  alone,  for  they  would  be  of  another  race,  speak- 
ing another  tongue,  unfriendly,  hostile.  He  sat  down 
on  a  smooth  rock  and,  resting  his  elbows  on  his  knees 
and  his  chin  on  his  hands,  stared  moodily  out  to  sea. 
Between  him  and  all  that  he  held  dear  stretched  this  wide 
ocean  for  thousands  of  miles.  In  utter  hopelessness  he 
wondered  why  it  had  not  swallowed  him  up  with  all 
his  comrades,  instead  of  casting  him  here,  a  battered, 
miserable  body. 

The  mood  passed.  He  had  escaped  the  perils  of  the 
sea,  not  by  his  own  strength,  but  by  the  hand  of  Provi- 
dence. If  perchance  he  had  more  to  fear  from  man  than 
from  nature — why,  it  behooved  him,  an  English  boy, 
and  a  Devon  boy  to  boot,  to  face  his  destiny  with  a  stout 
heart.  After  all,  he  was  of  the  same  stuff  as  Master 
Walter  Raleigh  and  Master  Francis  Drake  and  many 
another  bold  man  of  Devon.  He  could  not  think  that 
any  one  of  them,  in  his  situation,  would  give  way  to 
black  despair;  and,  lifting  his  aching  body  from  the 
shore,  he  walked  on:  he  would  at  least  learn  somewhat 
of  his  surroundings. 

The  beach,  he  found,  bore  gradually  to  the  left,  so 

that  he  could  see  but  a  short  distance  ahead.     Still  he 

ncountered  no  signs  of  life,  save  here  and  there  a  scut- 

7 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

tling  crab,  and  the  rank  plant  growths  above  him,  whence 
now  and  again  a  bird  fluttered  out  and  wheeled  scream- 
ing about  his  head,  and  then  soared  clattering  into  the 
foliage.'  Soon  he  tired  of  his  monotonous  tramping 
over  sand,  which  appeared  to  lead  no  whither;  and  ob- 
serving at  length  a  cleft  in  the  rocks,  whence  a  shallow 
stream  swiftly  poured  itself  upon  the  beach,  he  bethought 
himself  he  might  more  quickly  make  a  discovery  if  he 
pushed  his  way  up  the  watercourse  which  must  by  and 
by  lead  to  higher  ground.  He  turned  in  obedience  to 
this  impulse,  waded  through  the  stream,  that  wound  this 
way  and  that'  between  banks  thickly  covered  with  vege- 
tation, and  after  what  seemed  an  eternity  to  his  aching 
limbs,  found  himself  upon  a  cliff  overlooking  the  sea. 
His  wandering  had  brought  him  by  a  circuit  to  a  point 
north  of  the  spot  where  he  had  awakened  to  conscious- 
ness. 

The  cliff  on  which  he  stood  was  much  higher  than 
the  surrounding  country.  To  right  and  left  the  ground 
shelved  downward,  and  he  now  perceived  that  the  coast 
on  both  sides  had  an  inward  trend;  that,  in  fact,  the 
cliff  was  also  a  promontory.  Turning  round,  he  found 
that  his  view  was  blocked  by  the  trees  except  in  one 
direction,  where  a  sudden  dip  in  the  ground  gave  him 
an  outlook  over  several  miles.  And  there,  surely  at  the 
far  end  of  the  vista,  was  the  sea  again.  For  the  first 
time  the  suspicion  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  been  cast 
upon  an  island, 

8 


JETSAM 

He  went  to  the  farthest  point  of  the  cliff  to  scan  more 
carefully  the  horizon.  Looking  across  the  sea,  which 
from  the  beach  had  seemed  an  unbroken  plain,  he  now 
saw  in  the  far  distance  several  dark,  vague  shapes  rising 
a  little  above  the  surface.  These  must  be  islands.  To 
the  north,  somewhat  nearer  to  him,  and  somewhat  more 
definite,  were  similar  forms,  which  seemed  to  grow  in 
size  during  the  hour  or  more  he  watched  them,  no  doubt 
owing  to  the  fall  of  the  tide.  Far  to  the  south  he 
descried  a  long,  dark  bar  upon  the  horizon;  this  must 
be  land,  many  miles  away — probably  the  mainland.  His 
view  to  the  east  being  almost  entirely  shut  out  by  the 
foliage,  he  could  feel  no  certainty  that  his  suspicion  was 
justified ;  but  he  felt  a  stirring  of  interest  and  excitement 
now ;  supposing  it  were  indeed  an  island,  how  did  the 
discovery  bear  upon  his  lot? 

Once  more  he  turned  and  gazed  along  the  valley  at 
whose  end  he  saw  the  sea.  It  could  not  be  many  miles 
away;  perhaps  in  an  hour  or  so  he  could  reach  it.  The 
island,  apparently,  was  not  a  large  one,  so  that  he  could 
not  go  far  without  meeting  its  inhabitants.  He  looked 
around  for  any  signs  of  habitation — a  roof-top,  a  column 
of  smoke ;  but  there  was  none.  Next  moment  he  reflected 
that,  if  the  island  were  small,  it  would  not  take  him  long 
to  make  its  circuit  and  search  every  yard  of  the  beach 
for  tracks  of  his  late  comrades — of  the  Maid  Marian, 
too.  Still  cherishing  a  hope  that  some  might  have  sur- 
vived, like  himself,  he  set  off  to  descend  the  cliff  toward 

9 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  beach,  every  downward  step  racking  his  bruised 
limbs  and  strained  joints.  When  he  gained  the  beach, 
he  once  more  tramped  southward,  his  eagerness  lending 
him  speed.  He  passed  the  watercourse,  up  which  he 
had  struck  inland,  and  soon  after  came  upon  scattered 
articles  of  wreckage,  among  them  the  broken  topmast  of 
the  Maid  Marian.  With  a  sigh  for  his  lost  comrades, 
he  passed  on. 

The  sun  had  risen  high  in  the  heavens,  and  Dennis 
was  fain  to  rest. 

"I'm  a  poor  battered  hulk,"  he  said  aloud,  finding  some 
little  solace  in  the  sound  of  his  voice,  "and  hungry — 
how  hungry  I  am!" 

He  looked  around  for  food,  spied  some  shell-fish,  and 
ate  them  raw,  quenching  the  ensuing  thirst  at  another 
stream  that  rippled  down  from  the  interior.  The  feeling 
of  nervousness  lest  he  should  encounter  strangers  again 
took  hold  upon  him,  and  he  felt  a  desire  to  hide.  He 
found  himself  casting  uneasy,  almost  terrified  glances 
around  him  from  the  nook  in  which  he  was  now  resting, 
somewhat  sheltered  from  the  sun's  fierce  rays.  Then, 
conquering  the  feeling,  he  rose  again  to  continue  his 
search  of  the  beach.  He  must  by  and  by,  he  thought, 
come  upon  some  quay  or  harbor.  When  he  should  see 
it,  he  would  halt  and  consider  his  course  of  action: 
whether  to  advance  and  risk  the  meeting  with  strangers, 
or  to  retreat  until  with  recovered  strength  and  a  clearer 
mind  he  could  prepare  himself  for  what  might  be  in  store. 

10 


JETSAM 

As  he  proceeded,  he  noticed  that  the  jungle  frequently 
approached  to  within  a  few  feet  of  the  mass  of  weed 
that  marked  high  water.  At  one  spot  he  discovered, 
almost  buried  in  the  sand,  the  worm-eaten  stern-post  of 
a  vessel.  He  could  distinguish  one  or  two  letters  of  her 
name.  Many  a  ship,  he  doubted  not,  had  been  wrecked 
on  this  coast ;  many  a  hapless  wight  had  been  cast  up  by 
the  tide,  alive  or  dead.  By  and  by  he  came,  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  island,  to  high  cliffs,  and  he  set  about 
scaling  that  which  offered  the  easiest  ascent,  to  obtain 
a  view  of  the  sea  and  land  from  this  point  of  vantage 
also.  It  was  densely  wooded,  and  as  he  mounted  he 
heard,  besides  the  cries  of  startled  birds,  other  sounds 
that  struck  uncannily  upon  his  ear.  In  his  weakened 
state  any  new  note  in  these  sounds  set  his  nerves  tingling, 
and  more  than  once  he  stopped,  and  could  scarcely  pre- 
vent himself  from  turning  and  speeding  back  to  the 
beach,  where  at  least  there  was  nothing  to  cause  him 
fresh  tremors. 

Near  the  top  of  the  cliff  the  wood  thinned  away  some- 
what, and  when  he  reached  its  highest  point  he  found 
himself  on  a  stretch  of  greensward.  Northward  the 
ground  sloped  gently  down  to  a  clump  of  trees,  of  a 
species  unknown  to  him,  tall,  with  slender  trunks,  which 
it  seemed  to  him  he  could  climb  as  easily  as  the  masts 
on  the  Maid  Marian.  He  made  his  way  to  them,  half 
minded  to  swarm  up  the  tallest  of  the  group,  so  that 
from  its  summit  he  might  gain  a  view,  possibly,  over  the 

ii 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

whole  island,  and  solve  the  question  that  troubled  him — 
whether  somewhere  upon  it  there  was  a  settlement  of 
men.  Only  when  he  reached  the  foot  of  the  trunk  did 
he  remember  his  weakness.  He  stood  leaning  against  it, 
and  gazing  up  its  length  felt  that  at  present  his  muscles 
were  incapable  of  the  feat. 

All  at  once  his  eyes  became  fixed  in  his  head.  Travel- 
ing to  the  top,  where  a  mass  of  foliage  crowned  the 
towering  stem,  they  had  lighted  upon  a  face,  that  seemed 
to  be  peering  at  him  from  between  the  leaves.  The  feel- 
ing of  fright  that  had  before  almost  paralyzed  him  seized 
him  again.  But  next  moment  he  laughed  aloud. 

"Ninny  that  I  am!"  he  murmured.  "Afraid  of  a 
monkey !" 

He  looked  again.  The  monkey,  a  large,  long-tailed 
specimen  of  its  kind,  was  gazing  at  him  gravely,  with 
a  look  so  human  that  it  reminded  him  of  his  old  school- 
master at  Winchester.  With  the  sportive  instinct  of  a 
boy — Dennis  was  not  yet  seventeen — he  stopped,  picked 
up  a  stout  piece  of  fallen  branch,  and  flung  it  upward. 

"Stir,  Sir  Monkey!"  he  cried.  "I  hail  thee  as  lord  of 
this  island!" 

The  wood  struck  the  branch  on  which  the  monkey  was 
perched.  Chattering  angrily,  it  flung  its  long  arms  around 
the  branch  above,  and  swung  itself  up,  resting  there, 
blinking  and  showing  its  teeth  at  this  unmannerly  in- 
truder. 

"A  big  fellow,  indeed !"  said  Dennis  to  himself.  "I  will 

12 


JETSAM 

not  climb.  If  the  beast  is  angered,  as  he  seems,  he  would 
be  no  mean  foe  in  his  high  perch.  I'll  not  try  a  bout  with 
you,  Sir  Monkey.  You  shall  be  undisturbed  in  your 
lofty  house.  For  this  time,  farewell!" 

He  went  on,  smiling  a  little  as  he  became  conscious 
that  the  meeting  with  the  monkey  had  cheered  him. 


CHAPTER   II 

SEA-GIRT 

Besides  the  birds,  and  the  ground  animals  which  he 
heard  at  times  scurrying  through  the  undergrowth,  the 
sole  inhabitant  of  the  island  that  Dennis  had  yet  discov- 
ered was  a  monkey.  Though  he  was  beginning  to  suspect 
that  his  fears  of  encountering  hostile  human  folk  had 
been  needless,  he  still  felt  a  timid  reluctance  to  leave  the 
coast-line  for  the  interior;  and  having  given  up  for  the 
present  his  idea  of  climbing  a  tree  to  obtain  a  wider 
view,  he  contented  himself  with  walking  to  the  top  of 
the  cliff,  to  continue  his  observations  from  that  point. 
His  native  courage  was  returning ;  yet,  as  he  mounted  the 
cliff,  he  moved  for  the  most  part  under  cover  of  the 
trees ;  the  dread  of  possible  enemies  still  made  him  wary, 
though  every  now  and  again  he  forgot  his  precautions, 
only  remembering  them  again  when  the  sense  of  his  lone- 
liness forced  itself  upon  him,  or  when  he  was  momentarily 
startled  by  a  sudden  sound. 

Panting  a  little  from  his  exertions  when  he  gained  the 
summit,  conscious  of  his  bodily  weakness,  of  bruised 
limbs  and  strained  sinews,  he  looked  eagerly  around. 
Eastward  stretched  an  illimitable  expanse  of  sea;  he 

14 


SEA-GIRT 

scanned  it  longingly,  yet  doubtfully,  for  while  it  was 
from  that  quarter,  or  from  the  channel  between  the 
island  and  the  mainland,  that  he  might  hope  for  rescue 
from  a  friendly  ship,  it  was  thence  also  that  he  might  be 
descried  perchance  by  an  enemy.  He  sat  down  on  the 
grass,  once  more  yielding  to  the  heavy  sense  of  forlorn- 
ness,  and  thinking  sadly  of  his  lost  companions.  How 
long  he  remained  there  he  knew  not ;  his  mind  wandered 
a  little ;  he  thought  afterwards  that  he  had  probably  slept, 
for  he  suddenly  awoke  to  the  consciousness  of  a  gnawing 
hunger.  He  had  walked  far,  and  the  few  shell-fish  he 
had  picked  up  on  the  shore  gave  but  meager  sustenance. 
Still  and  cramped,  he  rose  to  search  again  for  food. 

There  was  nothing  edible  in  his  immediate  neighbor- 
hood. The  trees  sprang  to  a  lofty  height,  and  bore  no 
fruit.  Plucking  up  his  courage,  he  made  his  way  slowly 
down  the  slope  toward  the  middle  of  the  island.  The 
vegetation  grew  thicker  as  he  proceeded;  there  was  no 
path  or  road;  all  was  a  wild  tangle.  At  first  he  saw 
nothing  wherewith  to  ease  his  pangs;  never  in  his  life 
had  he  taken  a  thought  for  his  next  meal ;  it  was  a  new 
experience.  Often  enough  at  home  he  had  plucked  fruits 
as  they  grew;  he  remembered  with  a  strange,  homesick 
feeling  many  a  boyish  depredation  upon  neighboring 
orchards,  out  of  sheer  mischief,  not  from  a  longing  for 
food.  But  there  were  no  apple-trees  or  plum-trees  here. 
And  when  at  last  he  came  upon  a  broad-leaved  tree  upon 
which  grew  huge  clusters  of  a  yellowish  fruit,  in  shape 

15 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

like  monstrous  peapods,  he  hesitated,  wondering  whether 
this  might  not  be  one  of  those  evil  trees  of  which  he  had 
heard,  one  taste  of  which  would  turn  his  skin  black,  and 
fire  him  with  a  raging  thirst,  and  afflict  him  with  a  mad- 
ness whose  end  was  death.  But  his  natural  appetite 
would  not  be  gainsaid.  With  hope  and  misgiving  min- 
gled he  at  last  stretched  up  his  hand  and  plucked  one  of 
the  tempting  pods,  stripped  off  the  skin,  and  nibbled  a 
morsel  of  the  soft  fruit  within.  It  was  delicious ;  but  so 
was  the  devil's  fruit  of  mariners'  tales — the  more  delicious 
the  more  poisonous.  Somewhat  anxiously  he  waited; 
there  was  no  change  in  the  color  of  his  skin.  He  watched 
it  through  the  rents  of  his  tattered  garments ;  and  indeed 
it  seemed  to  him  that  any  change  would  be  for  the  better, 
for  he  perceived  for  the  first  time  that  he  was  already 
black  and  blue  with  bruises.  He  bit  off  another  and  a 
larger  piece;  then,  with  the  ravenous  haste  of  one  long 
fasting,  he  let  prudence  fly,  and  ate  the  whole  fruit,  and 
another,  and  another,  until  he  saw  with  surprise  and 
qualms  that  his  feet  were  encircled  by  a  ring  of  empty 
skins.  But  he  felt  astonishingly  refreshed  and  invigo- 
rated; he  must  eat  one  more;  and  thus,  timorously  and 
recklessly,  he  made  acquaintance  with  the  banana. 

Of  water  for  drink  there  was  abundance.  He  drank 
gladly  at  a  stream,  and  wandered  on.  It  was  strange 
that  he  no  longer  felt  alone.  He  saw  no  man,  nor  any 
trace  of  one ;  he  had  become  accustomed  now  to  the  rustle 
of  birds  and  the  swish  of  four-footed  creatures  moving 

16 


SEA-GIRT 

amid  the  greenwood;  what,  then,  caused  him  to  look 
apprehensively  around?  What  was  this  odd  feeling  of 
expectation  that  possessed  him?  There  was  nothing  to 
account  for  it,  and  by  and  by  the  nervousness  which  had 
left  him  during  his  search  for  food  returned  in  greater 
force.  It  was  not  lessened  when  he  suddenly  became 
aware  that  the  sun  was  setting.  Darkness,  he  knew, 
would  soon  envelop  him,  and  there  came  with  a  rush 
upon  his  mind  the  memory  of  his  early  childhood,  when 
night,  with  its  silence,  its  blackness,  had  filled  him  with 
terror.  He  felt  that  a  night  in  the  solitude  of  these 
unfamiliar  trees  would  be  unbearable,  and,  guiding  him- 
self by  the  sunset  glow,  he  hurriedly  plunged  through  the 
jungle  toward  the  shore.  There,  under  the  open  sky, 
he  could  feel  more  at  ease. 

.  His  course  brought  him  to  the  beach  on  the  southern 
side,  where,  in  the  morning,  he  remembered  having  seen, 
though  in  his  despondency  he  had  not  heeded,  a  number 
of  half-rotten  staves  of  casks.  These  might,  he  thought, 
serve  him  for  making  a  rude  shelter.  He  soon  found  the 
spot,  and  then  noticed  what  had  escaped  his  dazed  obser- 
vation before — that  close  by  the  staves  there  lay  a  medley 
of  stripped  branches.  Had  some  one,  at  some  time, 
built  himself  of  these  materials  a  shelter  in  that  very 
place?  He  gathered  the  stuff  together  and  rigged  up  a 
crazy  hut,  such  as  he  had  seen  erected  by  shepherds  on 
the  moors  of  Devon.  The  day  had  been  hot,  but  he 
..knew  from  his  experience  on  shipboard  that  the  nights 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

were  cold;  already  he  felt  a  sharpness  in  the  air,  and 
shivered  in  his  tatters.  The  hut  would  defend  him  some- 
what from  the  chill  of  night. 

Another  fear  seized  upon  him  with  the  approach  of 
dark.  His  mind  had  been  so  occupied  with  thoughts  of 
human  enemies  that  the  possibility  of  the  island's  har- 
boring wild  beasts  had  not,  in  the  daylight,  occurred  to 
him.  The  darkness  he  knew  brought  forth  small  and 
great  beasts;  and  he  remembered  with  a  shudder  the 
tales  told  him  by  one  of  the  hardy  adventurers  on  board 
the  Maid  Marian — of  packs  of  wild  dogs  that  scoured 
these  tropic  woods,  devouring  sleeping  men;  of  the  hid- 
eous cayman,  that  lurked  upon  the  shore,  and,  having 
swallowed  hundred-weights  of  stones  to  increase  his 
heaviness,  seized  upon  some  unwary  creature,  and 
dragged  it  down  into  the  watery  depths  to  feast  upon  it 
at  leisure.  All  wild  beasts,  he  had  heard,  were  afraid 
of  fire;  he  had  his  flint  and  steel,  secure  in  a  leather 
pouch  upon  his  girdle,  but  he  had  no  dry  tinder;  the 
sodden  wood  of  the  staves  and  branches  of  which  he  had 
built  his  hut  would  be  useless,  and  he  shrank  from  issu- 
ing forth  into  the  now  darkening  woods  to  find  material 
that  would  serve.  He  comforted  himself  with  the  rec- 
ollection that  not  once  during  his  tramp  around  the 
island  had  he  seen  any  animal  larger  than  a  hare,  save 
the  monkey;  and  he  resigned  himself  to  make  the  best 
of  what  he  feared  would  be  a  cheerless  night. 

The  dark  fell  rapidly;  again  he  had  a  strange  feeling 

18 


SEA-GIRT 

that  he  was  not  alone.  He  went  to  the  entrance  of 
the  hut,  where  he  had  drawn  some  of  the  worm-eaten 
branches,  strung  together  with  a  few  creepers,  across  as 
a  door.  Peering  out,  he  saw  nothing  but  the  darkened 
cliffs  and  the  sea,  heard  nothing  but  the  wash  of  the 
surf,  the  rustle  of  the  breeze,  and  the  soft  tones  of  wood- 
pigeons.  He  returned  to  the  rear  of  the  cabin,  where 
he  had  strewed  leaves  for  his  couch.  As  he  lay  back 
upon  it  and  looked  up  to  the  roof  he  started,  and  instinct- 
ively seized  a  branch  for  protection;  above  him  shone 
two  greenish  eyes  peeping  through  one  of  the  many  gaps. 
His  hasty  movement  disturbed  the  watcher,  and  Dennis 
heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  as  he  heard  a  shrill  chattering 
above,  and  knew  it  for  the  gibber  of  a  monkey.  Spring- 
ing up,  he  dashed  out  of  the  cabin  to  drive  the  intruder 
away.  He  was  just  in  time  to  see  the  monkey  springing 
up  the  nearest  tree. 

It  was  long  before  he  fell  asleep.  Then  his  rest  was 
fitful  and  disturbed,  not  only  through  his  overwrought 
nerves,  but  by  the  nocturnal  cries  of  creatures  in  the 
forest,  and  the  attentions  of  insects,  which  nipped  and 
stung  with  importunate  malice.  In  spite  even  of  them, 
however,  he  slept;  and  when  with  the  rising  of  the  sun 
they  betook  their  satiated  bodies  elsewhere,  he  lay  till 
the  morning  was  drawing  toward  noon  in  the  sound 
sleep  of  exhausted  nature. 

Opening  his  eyes  upon  bright  day,  he  was  tempted  by 
the  smoothness  of  the  sea  to  bathe.  When  he  flung  off 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

his  clothes  he  laughed  to  see  the  party-colored  patches 
on  his  skin.  Blue  and  yellow  and  black,  the  bruises 
reminded  him  of  his  battering  in  the  storm,  and  his 
laughter  turned  to  sighing  as  he  thought  once  more  of 
his  comrades  and  their  hapless  fate.  But  in  the  physical 
joy  of  swimming  he  again  plucked  up  heart,  and  he  left 
the  stinging  water  with  a  most  healthy  hunger.  The 
recollection  of  his  feast  of  fruit  drew  him  into  the  wood- 
land. He  wandered  long  before  he  lighted  upon  the 
banana  grove,  and  though,  in  the  course  of  roaming,  he 
saw  other  fruit-bearing  trees,  he  resisted  for  the  present 
the  temptation  to  climb  and  taste ;  when  once  his  hunger 
was  appeased  by  the  fruit  he  knew,  he  could  more  safely 
make  an  experiment  on  the  unknown. 

He  saw,  too,  many  animals  which  had  escaped  his 
notice  previously.  There  were  hedgehogs,  and  tortoises, 
and  giant  spiders,  and  scorpions,  to  which  he  gave  a 
wide  berth ;  but  he  caught  no  glimpse  of  any  four-footed 
beast  to  cause  him  dread,  and  having  by  this  time  made 
up  his  mind  that  there  were  no  human  beings  on  the 
island,  he  went  more  fearlessly,  with  a  readier  eye  to 
note  the  features  of  his  new  abode. 

Happening  once  to  halt  and  glance  back,  he  saw, 
perched  in  the  branches  of  a  tree  not  many  yards  away,  a 
monkey.  Was  it  the  same,  he  wondered,  as  that  which 
had  peered  at  him  out  of  the  tree  he  had  thought  of 
climbing,  and  pried  upon  him  in  his  humble  cabin?  It 
seemed  to  be  of  the  same  size ;  it  had  spindly  limbs  and  a 

20 


SEA-GIRT 

long,  slender  tail ;  but  probably  there  was  a  colony  of  the 
strange  creatures  on  the  island. 

"Good  morrow,  Sir  Monkey,"  he  said,  again  finding 
a  pleasure  in  the  sound  of  his  voice.  "Are  you  lonely, 
too  ?  You  were  not  surely  cast,  like  me,  upon  this  island 
far  away  from  kith  and  kin.  You  have  a  wise  and  sol- 
emn look;  what  secrets  do  you  harbor  in  that  narrow 
skull  of  yours  ?  And  what  do  you  think  of  me,  I  wonder, 
when  you  look  at  me  with  those  cunning  little  eyes? 
I  wish  you  could  speak,  for  here  am  I  prating  to  myself, 
like  an  old  gossip  of  eighty." 

As  he  moved  on  it  was  very  soon  clear  that  the  monkey 
was  dogging  him.  He  amused  himself  by  putting  the 
matter  to  the  test.  When  he  sat  down,  the  monkey 
stopped,  and  remained  perfectly  still,  partly  concealing 
itself  among  the  leaves.  When  Dennis  rose  and  went 
on  his  way  the  monkey  followed,  springing  from  branch 
to  branch  with  amazing  dexterity,  always  keeping  at  a 
distance,  but  always  watching  for  the  youth.  Dennis 
became  interested,  fascinated,  as  he  watched  the  move- 
ments of  the  agile  creature. 

"Truly,  Sir  Monkey,"  he  said,  "I  begin  to  wish  I  had 
a  tail." 

And  as  the  day  wore  on,  and  the  monkey  kept  pace 
with  him  wherever  he  went,  he  began  to  find  in  its  pres- 
ence something  of  the  comfort  of  human  companionship. 
Once,  as  he  sat  resting  under  a  tree,  the  broken  skin  of 
a  fruit  he  had  eyed  longingly  fell  within  a  couple  of 

21 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

yards  of  him,  and,  looking  up,  he  saw  the  monkey  suck- 
ing with  relish  at  another  of  the  same  kind. 

"Aha,  my  fine  fellow,"  said  Dennis,  "you  have  some- 
thing of  a  man  about  you,  and  mayhap  what  is  good  for 
you  is  good  for  me,  too." 

And  he  climbed  a  tree  on  which  the  pale  yellow  fruit 
was  hanging  and  plucked  one,  and  made  a  wry  mouth 
at  his  first  taste  of  the  tartish  lime. 

Thus  the  day  passed  in  aimless  yet  not  unprofitable 
wandering.  Warned  by  his  experience  of  the  previous 
night,  he  resolved  to  prepare  his  shelter  somewhat  earlier. 
Where  should  it  be  ?  He  was  determined  not  to  go  back 
to  the  cabin,  for  the  insects  had  plagued  him  there  un- 
mercifully, and  he  could  only  ward  them  off  by  means 
of  a  fire.  But  flame  by  night  and  smoke  by  day  rising 
from  the  shore  would  assuredly  provoke  curiosity  among 
the  crew  of  any  passing  ship;  and  since,  of  the  vessels 
likely  to  pass  in  these  latitudes,  the  most  would  undoubt- 
edly be  Spanish,  he  was  loath  to  attract  visitors  who 
might  prove  so  eminently  undesirable.  Yet,  as  he  knew 
from  his  experience  in  woods  at  home,  the  insects  would 
be  even  more  numerous  inland  than  at  the  shore.  A  fire 
he  must  have,  and  it  struck  him  that  if  he  could  find, 
somewhere  in  the  middle  of  the  island,  a  sheltered  hol- 
low, he  might  safely  kindle  there  a  few  sticks,  trusting 
that  the  overarching  foliage  would  prevent  a  glow  in  the 
sky,  and  that  the  smoke,  in  the  night-time,  would  pass 
unobserved. 


SEA-GIRT 

About  a  mile  from  the  edge  of  the  eastern  cliff  was  a 
spring  whence  a  little  stream  flowed  westward.  At  its 
source  but  an  inch  or  two  wide,  it  gathered  volume  on 
its  winding  course,  and  Dennis,  tracking  it,  wondering 
by  what  circuit  it  would  finally  reach  the  sea,  discovered 
that  it  ran  at  length  into  a  somewhat  extensive  marsh. 
He  knew  nothing  about  rainfall  and  land  drainage,  but 
being  a  lad  of  some  powers  of  observation  and  reasoning, 
he  was  not  long  in  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
marsh  collected  as  in  a  cup  the  water  that  fell  on  the 
surrounding  high  ground  during  such  torrential  rains  as 
had  fallen  on  the  night  of  the  storm.  It  was  clear  that 
there  must  be  tin  outlet,  or  the  marsh  would  be  a  lake, 
and  this  outlet  he  found  amid  thick  undergrowth  toward 
the  western  cliff  near  which  he  had  been  thrown  by 
the  sea. 

Penetrating  the  d^nse  jungle,  he  discovered  that  the 
outflow  poured  through  a  channel  some  three  feet  deep. 
Only  a  small  stream  now  trickled  down  its  center;  the 
banks  were  sandy  and  dry,  and  the  interlaced  foliage  so 
arched  it  over  that  Dennis  decided  he  might  rest  in  it 
secure  from  observation,  and  even  run  the  risk  of  kin- 
dling a  fire  at  night.  It  seemed  scarcely  necessary  to  bring 
the  staves  of  his  cabin  over  several  miles  of  difficult 
country  to  this  spot;  the  trees  themselves  formed  a  suf- 
ficient shelter;  but  with  his  clasp-knife  he  cleared  away 
some  of  the  undergrowth,  and  lopped  off  a  few  low- 
growing  branches  to  make  a  little  inclosure ;  and  by  the 

23 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

time  the  natural  shade  deepened  at  the  approach  of  night 
he  had  fenced  in  a  few  square  yards  and  scooped  out  a 
hollow  in  the  middle  for  his  fire. 

All  the  time  he  was  working,  the  monkey  watched 
every  movement  from  a  branch  overhead.  Dennis  was 
not  at  first  aware  of  the  animal's  presence,  so  closely 
hidden  was  it  by  the  .foliage.  Only  when  he  struck  a 
spark  from  the  flint,  and  after  some  ineffectual  attempts 
succeeded  in  blowing  up  a  flame,  did  the  monkey  reveal 
its  hiding-place  by  a  little  gibber  of  amazement. 

"So  ho!  my  friend,"  cried  Dennis.  "You  haunt  me 
like  a  familiar.  Have  you  never  seen  a  fire?  Do  not 
let  your  curiosity  tempt  you  too  far,  for  I  had  rather 
you  remained  at  your  present  comfortable  distance,  until 
I  know  you  a  little  better." 

Dennis  felt  very  well  satisfied  with  his  contrivance  as 
he  sat  by  the  fire,  eating  a  supper  of  bananas  before 
laying  himself  down  on  a  bed  of  leaves.  The  smoke 
defended  him  somewhat  from  the  insect  pests;  the 
warmth  was  comforting;  and  the  cheerful  glow  gave 
him  a  sense  of  homeness  and  well-being.  He  fed  the 
fire  more  than  once  during  the  night,  waking,  it  seemed, 
when  the  diminished  heat  warned  him  that  the  fuel 
needed  replenishing.  And  when  he  awoke  from  his  long- 
est spell  of  sleep  the  dawn  was  stealing  through  the 
trees,  birds  were  cooing,  whistling,  chattering  overhead, 
and  the  monkey,  on  a  low  branch,  was  watching  him 
with  unalterable  gravity. 

24 


CHAPTER   III 

A   WRECK — AND    MIRANDOLA 

Dennis,  as  he  made  his  breakfast,  pondered  deeply  on 
the  situation,  taking  the  monkey  into  his  confidence. 

"Could  we  change  parts,  Sir  Monkey — if  I  were  you, 
and  you  were  Dennis  Hazelrig,  what  would  you  do? 
This  is  your  island;  we  will  call  it  yours;  I  am  your 
guest.  You  seem  to  be  a  solitary  creature  like  myself; 
are  you  miserable,  I  wonder?  Does  your  loneliness 
trouble  you?  There  is  food  for  us  both;  it  is  so  warm 
that  for  the  present,  at  least,  I  need  no  more  clothes  than 
you ;  neither  of  us  will  starve.  How  old  are  you  ?  You 
look  wise  enough  to  be  very  old.  Am  I  to  remain  on 
this  island  until  I  have  a  beard  as  long  and  white  as  Sir 
Parson's  at  home?  Oh,  you  can  not  understand  what  I 
say,  for  all  your  wise  look;  you  can  not  know  what  a 
wretched  mortal  I  am.  What  can  I  do?" 

The  monkey  only  blinked  at  him,  and  plucked  a  dark, 
plum-like  fruit  from  the  bough  and  munched  it. 

For  a  time  Dennis  sat  listless,  feeling  too  wretched 
even  to  move  from  the  spot.  Then  he  got  up  and  made 
his  way  back  to  the  cliff.  He  stood  on  the  summit,  scan- 
ning the  whole  circumference  of  the  shining  sea.  Not  a 

25 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

sail  was  in  sight.  He  scarcely  knew  whether  he  was  dis- 
appointed or  not.  Supposing  a  vessel  should  heave  into 
view,  he  dare  not  attempt  to  attract  the  attention  of  some 
one  on  board.  If  it  were  English,  it  would  be  welcome 
as  a  spar  to  a  drowning  man.  If  it  were  Spanish,  he 
might  as  well  jump  into  the  maw  of  some  sea  monster. 
Yet  how  could  he  discover  its  nationality  without  at  the 
same  time  betraying  his  presence  ?  Several  times  during 
that  third  day  he  climbed  to  the  same  spot,  and  looked 
out  with  the  same  eagerness;  not  one  glimpse  did  he 
catch  of  a  white  wing  upon  the  water;  and  he  always 
turned  away  with  the  same  uncertainty. 

He  spent  hours  in  roaming,  as  aimlessly  as  before, 
along  the  beach  and  through  the  woodland.  Coming  in 
the  course  of  the  day  to  the  cliff  near  which  he  had 
been  cast  ashore,  he  remembered  that  hitherto  he  had 
not  made  a  complete  circuit  of  the  island;  the  beach 
northward  appeared  to  be  barred  by  huge  masses  of  rock. 
In  his  present  mood  he  had  no  curiosity  to  see  what  lay 
beyond ;  he  supposed  indeed  that,  if  he  did  care  to  clamber 
toilsomely  over  the  barrier,  he  would  simply  arrive  at  a 
point  of  the  beach  which  he  had  already  reached  from 
the  other  side. 

But  later  in  the  day,  when  the  tedium  of  inaction  had 
become  unbearable,  he  started  to  explore  the  lower  course 
of  the  streamlet  on  whose  bank  he  had  slept.  He  found 
that  the  channel  gradually  widened,  the  banks  growing 
higher  as  he  neared  the  sea.  By  and  by  he  came  upon 

26 


A  WRECK— AND  MIRANDOLA 

a  wide  pool  on  whose  rim  a  mass  of  seaweed  lay  rotting 
in  the  sun.  Stooping,  out  of  sheer  curiosity  he  dipped 
his  finger,  and,  tasting,  discovered  that  the  water  was 
salt,  as  he  had  supposed.  Clearly  at  high  tide  the  sea 
came  thus  far  up  the  gully.  The  entrance  was  as  yet 
hidden  from  him  by  the  jutting  shoulder  of  the  cliff, 
but  he  could  hear  now  the  light  rumble  of  surf  upon  the 
beach,  and  he  went  on,  feeling  some  curiosity  to  learn 
whereabouts  on  the  shore  he  would  arrive. 

He  had  taken  but  a  few  more  steps  when,  rounding 
the  projecting  cliff,  he  came  upon  a  scene  which  petrified 
him  with  astonishment.  Docked  in  the  sand,  lying  over 
on  her  side,  was  the  battered  hulk  of  a  two-masted  vessel. 
Her  stern  was  somewhat  toward  him,  and  he  read, 
painted  there,  the  word  Maid;  but  so  familiar  was  he 
with  her  lines  that  he  needed  not  the  rest  of  the  name; 
this  was  in  very  truth  the  wreck  of  the  Maid  Marian. 
Of  her  two  masts  only  the  stumps  remained;  her  deck, 
inclined  toward  him,  was  littered  with  a  medley  of  rig- 
ging; her  rudder  was  gone,  part  of  her  bulwarks  torn 
away. 

There  was  an  uncanny  look  about  the  hapless  vessel 
as  she  lay  there  on  the  sandy  beach,  at  the  head  of  a 
small  bay  bounded  by  the  cliffs  on  either  side.  Dennis 
felt  just  such  a  thrill  as  he  might  have  felt  had  he  come 
suddenly  upon  the  body  of  a  friend.  The  solitude,  the 
silence,  intensified  by  the  rustling  wash  of  the  surf,  the 
background  of  boundless  sky  and  ocean,  combined  to 

27 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

affect  him  with  a  sense  of  desolation.  He  felt  a  shrink- 
ing reluctance  to  approach,  and  when  he  had  conquered 
this  and  stood  beneath  the  vessel's  quarter,  it  was  some 
time  before  he  summoned  up  the  resolution  to  climb  on 
board.  Then  he  mounted  slowly,  hesitatingly,  by  the 
battens,  holding  his  breath,  as  if  fearful  of  disturbing 
a  sleeper. 

All  was  intensely  still.  Multitudinous  insects  were 
crawling  this  way  and  that  among  the  litter  of  rigging; 
save  for  these  there  was  no  sign  of  life — where  for  two 
months  as  merry  a  company  as  ever  trod  deck  had  talked 
and  laughed  and  jested.  Dennis  felt  a  lump  in  his  throat 
as  he  recalled  the  little  incidents  of  the  voyage ;  quarter- 
staff  bouts  with  old  Miles  Barton,  wrestling-matches 
with  Harry  Greville,  sword-play  sometimes  with  the 
captain  himself. 

The  hatchways  were  battened  down.  He  shrank  from 
going  below.  Evening  was  drawing  on ;  he  would  leave 
the  wreck  now,  and  return  in  the  morning.  As  he  set 
his  foot  once  more  on  the  beach,  and  began  to  retrace 
his  steps  up  the  gully,  he  saw  the  monkey  grinning  at 
him  from  a  tree  on  the  cliff,  and  was  surprised  to  find 
how  pleasant  and  consoling  was  the  creature's  company. 

Hard  on  this  discovery  of  the  wreck  came  another 
discovery.  Retracing  his  steps  up  the  chine,  he  noticed 
a  green  ledge  on  the  cliff,  some  few  feet  above  his  head, 
on  the  right-hand  side.  The  thought  occurred  to  him  to 
rest  there  for  a  little ;  he  could  reach  it  by  an  easy  climb. 

28 


A  WRECK— AND  MIRANDOLA 

When  he  gained  the  ledge,  he  found  that  it  ran  back  for 
a  longer  distance  than  he  had  supposed.  At  its  farther 
end  grew  a  wild  mass  of  bushes  and  trees,  some  of  which 
bore  the  plum-like  fruit  that  he  had  seen  the  monkey 
eating  with  enjoyment. 

He  went  to  pluck  some  of  the  fruit,  and,  penetrating 
a  little  way  into  the  thicket,  he  suddenly  perceived  that 
the  bushes  appeared  to  grow  across  an  opening  in  the 
rock.  He  pulled  the  strands  aside,  and  looked  into  the 
dark  entrance  of  a  cave.  The  discovery  interested  him. 
Might  he  not  find  here  a  better  lodging  than  the  rude 
shelter  he  had  made  on  the  bank  of  the  stream  ?  It  was 
far  above  high-water  mark,  and  conveniently  placed  for 
refuge,  being  accessible  landward  only  by  the  rocky 
channel,  and  wholly  hidden  from  observation  at  sea.  Yet 
he  paused  before  stepping  into  the  cave.  Might  it  not 
be  a  wild  beast's  lair?  True,  he  had  seen  no  animals 
which  he  could  have  any  cause  to  fear,  but  at  this  moment 
of  overstrung  nerves  he  felt  a  child's  dread  of  the  dark. 

"A  proper  adventurer,  in  good  sooth!"  he  said  to 
himself.  "The  skirts  of  a  nurse  would  befit  me  better 
than  an  island  in  the  Spanish  Main." 

And  without  more  ado  he  took  a  step  forward  and 
entered. 

The  daylight  was  quenched  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
opening.  Striking  a  spark  from  his  flint,  he  kindled  a 
mass  of  dried  grass  he  had  stowed  in  his  pouch  for 
this  purpose,  and  started  as  the  brief  flame  lit  up  the 

29 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

interior;  for  there,  at  his  feet,  lay  a  human  skeleton. 
Incontinently  he  dropped  his  torch  and  fled — scoffing, 
when  once  more  in  the  free  air,  at  his  lack  of  courage. 
But  the  wish  to  make  this  his  abode  had  vanished.  He 
had  no  fancy  to  consort  with  skeletons,  and  besides, 
the  damp  and  musty  atmosphere  of  the  cave  was  oppres- 
sive. Without  delay  he  set  off  to  regain  his  former 
resting-place. 

These  new  discoveries  had  introduced  a  disturbing 
element  into  his  life  on  the  island.  Uninhabited  as  it 
apparently  was  now,  clearly  it  had  not  always  been  so. 
What  was  the  history  of  that  skeleton?  Were  there 
others  farther  within  the  cave?  It  was  not  the  remains 
of  a  castaway,  for  not  even  in  the  fiercest  hurricane 
could  the  sea  penetrate  so  far.  Had  some  poor  wretched 
fugitive  fled  there  for  refuge  from  a  human  enemy,  and 
been  slain  or  starved?  What  tragedy  of  lonely  death 
had  overtaken  him  there?  These  questions  kept  him 
wakeful  that  night,  and  haunted  him  even  while  he  slept. 

With  morning  light  he  thought  less  of  the  cave  and 
more  of  the  wreck.  The  Maid  Marian  had  left  Ply- 
mouth well  equipped  with  stores;  the  hatchways  had 
been  battened  down  in  the  storm,  and  unless  the  sea 
had  poured  in  through  holes  stove  in  her  sides,  there 
must  be  below  decks  a  considerable  quantity  of  materials 
that  would  prove  serviceable  if  his  stay  on  the  island 
was  to  be  lengthened.  As  soon  as  he  had  finished  his 
breakfast  he  set  off  to  return  to  the  chine.  It  was  no 

30 


A  WRECK— AND  MIRANDOLA 

surprise  to  him  now  to  observe  the  monkey  following, 
like  an  attendant  lackey. 

"Come,  Sir  Monkey,"  he  said  with  an  attempt  at 
gaiety,  "let  us  go  together  and  inspect  our  treasure 
trove." 

He  felt  again  a  strange  sense  of  awe  as  he  climbed 
into  the  vessel's  waist,  and  trod  her  planks  delicately. 
But  remarking  that  her  position  had  been  shifted  slightly 
by  the  incoming  tide  during  the  night,  and  that  little 
streams  of  water  were  escaping  from  holes  on  to  the 
sand,  he  reflected  that  it  behooved  him  to  lose  no  time 
if  he  wished  to  secure  her  contents,  for  any  day  a  tempest 
might  spring  up  and  shatter  the  hulk  irretrievably. 
Gulping  down  the  timidity  that  still  troubled  him,  he 
climbed  to  the  quarter-deck,  scrambled  through  the  litter 
of  ropes  and  shattered  spars,  and  went  forward  through 
the  broken  doorway  into  the  main  cabin. 

The  floor  was  littered  with  the  possessions  of  his  dear 
lost  comrades.  Here  was  Harry  Greville's  sword;  near 
it  a  pistol-case  that  had  belonged  to  Philip  Masterton. 
He  stepped  over  these  and  other  relics  and  entered  the 
captain's  cabin  beyond.  Here  too  all  was  ruin  and  dis- 
order. Garments,  instruments  of  navigation,  an  ink- 
horn,  trumpets,  a  drum,  Sir  Martin's  arms  and  breast- 
plate, the  big  leather-bound  book  in  which  he  wrote 
his  diary  of  the  voyage,  lay  helter-skelter  on  the  floor. 
Dennis  could  hardly  bear  to  look  upon  these  mementoes 
of  the  lost,  and  he  soon  turned  his  back  on  them  and 

31 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

returned  to  the  open  part  of  the  vessel,  where  he  sat  for 
a  time,  given  up  to  melancholy  brooding. 

At  last  he  rose,  threw  off  the  oppression,  and  ventured 
to  force  up  the  main  hatch  forward  of  the  mainmast  and 
descend.  Even  now  he  could  not  bear  to  remain  long 
below.  He  explored  the  whole  length  of  the  vessel  in 
sections,  returning  at  short  intervals,  to  breathe  the  fresh 
air  and  enjoy  the  cheerful  sunlight.  On  one  of  these 
occasions  he  was  amused  to  see  that  his  faithful  attend- 
ant had  now  ventured  to  quit  the  security  of  its  tree, 
and  was  sitting  on  a  rock  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
vessel,  an  interested  spectator. 

His  inspection  of  the  contents  of  the  vessel  fully 
rewarded  him.  In  the  steward's  store,  abaft  the  main- 
mast, he  found  a  large  number  of  utensils — an  iron  pease- 
pot,  a  copper  fish-kettle,  a  skimmer,  several  wooden 
ladles,  a  gridiron,  a  frying-pan,  a  couple  of  pipkins,  a 
chafing-dish,  a  fire-shovel,  a  pair  of  bellows,  trays,  plat- 
ters, porringers,  trenchers,  drinking-cans,  two  well- 
furnished  tinder-boxes,  candles,  and  candlesticks.  There 
were  casks  of  beer  and  wine,  great  boxes  of  biscuits, 
bags  of  oatmeal,  pease,  and  salt,  whole  sides  of  home- 
cured  bacon,  several  cheeses,  a  tierce  of  vinegar,  jars 
of  honey  and  sugar,  flasks  of  oil,  pots  of  balsam  and 
other  salves,  a  pledget  for  spreading  plasters,  a  pair 
of  scissors,  and  several  rolls  of  linen,  these  last  evidently 
provided  for  the  exigencies  of  fighting.  In  the  carpen- 
ter's store  forward  there  were  hammers,  awls,  chisels, 


A  WRECK— AND  MIRANDOLA 

files,  a  saw,  hundreds  of  nails,  both  sixpenny  and  four- 
penny.  In  the  armory  were  half-pikes,  cutlasses,  mus- 
kets, with  bandoliers,  rests,  and  molds,  barrels  of 
gunpowder  and  tar,  and  leaden  bullets,  such  as  were  to  be 
bought  at  Plymouth  six  pounds  for  threepence.  And 
as  to  the  other  appurtenances  of  a  well-found  ship,  he 
was  almost  bewildered  by  the  quantity  of  them — bolts, 
and  chains,  and  pulleys,  buckets,  mops,  sand-glasses, 
horn  lanterns,  fagots  for  fuel,  fishing-nets,  articles  of 
apparel;  things  for  trade  and  barter;  the  list  would  fill 
a  page  or  two.  And  he  rejoiced  exceedingly  to  find  that 
all  were  in  good  condition,  even  the  cheeses ;  there  could 
not  be  even  a  rat  on  board  to  commit  depredations. 

Surveying  this  great  and  substantial  store,  Dennis 
rubbed  his  head  in  puzzlement. 

"  Tis  a  month's  work,"  he  said  ruefully,  "and  for 
one  pair  of  hands.  The  grave  and  reverend  signor 
yonder  will  scarce  assist,  I  trow ;  indeed,  'tis  to  be  feared 
he  may  be  thievishly  inclined,  and  needs  must  I  bestow 
the  goods  skilfully.  Well,  to  it;  time  and  tide,  they 
say,  wait  for  no  man." 

He  began  by  carrying  the  biscuits  and  other  perish- 
ables from  the  hold  to  the  bulwarks,  where  he  rigged 
up  a  running  tackle,  and  lowered  the  bags  and  boxes 
to  the  sand  beneath.  So  intent  was  he  upon  his  task 
that  it  was  with  a  start  of  surprise  and  alarm  he  noticed 
that  the  tide  was  flowing  in,  and  had  almost  reached  the 
vessel.  Threatened  with  the  loss  of  the  precious  stores, 

33 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

he  was  hard  put  to  it  to  drag  and  carry  and  roll  them  up 
the  beach  beyond  the  reach  of  the  waves,  and  the  sun 
was  far  down  toward  the  western  horizon  before  he  had 
them  high  and  dry.  By  this  time  the  sea  was  several 
feet  deep  around  the  vessel,  and  the  thought  struck  him : 
what  if  the  wreck  were  to  float  away  on  the  tide  and 
all  the  remaining  salvage  be  snatched  from  him?  So 
grave  a  misfortune  must  be  prevented.  At  once  he  swam 
out  to  the  ship,  and  securely  fastening  to  the  stump  of 
the  broken  mast  one  of  the  stout  cables  he  found  below, 
he  again  plunged  into  the  sea  and  in  a  little  had  wound 
the  other  end  about  two  sturdy  trees  growing  out  from 
the  cliff. 

While  the  wreck  remained  in  its  present  position  it 
was  desirable  that  he  should  have  his  lodging  close  by. 
There  was  no  shelter  on  the  shore  itself,  nor  did  the 
cliff  promise  a  comfortable  abiding-place,  and  his 
thoughts  returned  to  the  cave,  which  was  a  good  deal 
nearer  than  the  spot  where  he  had  rested  the  previous 
night. 

Among  the  things  he  had  brought  ashore  were  a 
lantern,  a  tinder-box,  and  a  candle.  Fortified  with  a 
light,  he  entered  the  cave  with  less  tremor  than  on  the 
previous  evening  and  looked  about  him.  The  cave  was 
deep ;  his  light  did  not  reach  the  farther  extremity.  The 
roof  was  damp,  and  green  with  moss.  There  was  the 
skeleton,  stretched  on  the  rocky  floor.  By  its  side,  as 
he  now  saw,  lay  a  hatchet  of  curious  shape;  a  little 

34 


A  WRECK— AND  MIRANDOLA 

beyond  were  some  colored  beads.  But  within  the  circle 
of  light  he  discovered  no  other  remnants  of  humanity; 
these  were  not  very  terrible  after  all,  and  he  might  have 
taken  up  his  abode  there  but  for  the  oppressive  atmos- 
phere, in  which  the  candle  in  his  lantern  burned  low. 
He  gave  up  the  idea  of  sleeping  in  the  cave,  but  made 
himself  just  outside  and  across  the  entrance  a  couch  of 
cloaks  taken  from  the  wreck. 

Before  settling  himself  for  the  night,  he  returned  to 
the  base  of  the  cliff,  opened  with  the  hatchet  one  of  his 
precious  boxes  of  biscuits,  and,  taking  a  handful,  sat 
on  a  flat  rock  to  make  an  unaccustomed  supper.  He 
had  barely  eaten  a  mouthful  when  he  saw  a  brown  figure 
leap  from  somewhere  above  his  head,  swoop  on  the  still 
open  box,  clutch  one  of  the  biscuits  and  spring  away, 
with  a  long  chatter  of  delight. 

"Ah,  knave!"  he  exclaimed.  "My  prophetic  soul 
avouched  that  your  gravity  cloaked  an  evil  bent.  You 
are  a  thief,  Sir  Monkey.  But  I  do  not  grudge  it  you; 
your  constancy  in  attendance  merits  some  reward.  A 
toothsome  morsel,  is  it  not?  It  pleases  me  to  see  your 
pleasure,  and — yes,  I  have  it!  You  are  my  sole  com- 
panion on  this  island;  why  should  we  not  be  friends? 
You  must  learn  a  rightful  humility,  to  be  sure.  Regard- 
ing me  as  the  dispenser  of  luxuries,  will  you  not  love 
me,  with  the  respectful  love  of  a  dependent?  It  is  worth 
the  trial." 

Rising  from  his  seat  in  time  to  forestall  a  second 

35 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

application  to  the  biscuit  box,  he  went  to  it,  took  Half  a 
dozen,  shut  down  the  lid,  and  returned  to  the  rock. 

"Now,  Mirandola,"  he  said  " —  I  name  you  Mirandola 
for  your  wisdom,  not  your  larceny — here  in  my  hand 
I  hold  one  of  the  twice-cooked,  the  fellow  of  the  one 
you  found  so  delectable.  Come  and  take  it,  and  give 
thanks." 

But  the  animal  sat  motionless  on  its  hands,  grinning 
and  gibbering. 

"You  do  me  wrong  to  suspect  me,"  Dennis  went  on. 
"Well,  this  is  to  prove  my  good  faith." 

He  flung  the  biscuit  on  to  the  sand,  a  few  yards 
away,  and  laughed  quietly  to  see  what  ensued.  The 
monkey  chattered  volubly  with  excitement,  swung  itself 
to  a  lower  branch,  then  back  to  its  former  perch,  where 
it  sat  for  a  moment  blinking  and  grinning.  Then  it 
descended  with  extraordinary  rapidity  to  the  foot  of 
the  tree,  crouched  behind  the  trunk  while  a  man  might 
count  ten,  and,  with  frantic  haste,  as  though  fearful 
its  courage  would  not  endure,  it  darted  on  all  fours 
across  to  the  biscuit,  looking  in  its  movement  like  a 
gigantic  spider.  Seizing  the  delicacy,  it  sped  back  to 
the  tree,  squatted  on  the  lowest  branch,  and  set  its  jaws 
right  merrily  to  work. 

"That  is  your  first  lesson,  Mirandola,"  said  Dennis, 
placing  the  remaining  biscuits  in  his  pouch,  in  full  sight 
of  the  animal.  "The  second  begins  at  once ;  it  enjoineth 
patience." 

36 


A  WRECK— AND  MIRANDOLA 

And  heedless  of  the  loud  outcry  made  by  the  monkey 
when  it  saw  these  choice  comestibles  disappear,  Dennis 
returned  to  his  couch,  and  laid  himself  down  for  the 
night.  He  no  longer  spent  the  night  in  restless  tossing, 
but  had  accustomed  himself  to  the  strange  noises  and 
the  loneliness;  he  slept  soundly  until  dawn. 


37 


CHAPTER  IV 

SALVAGE 

Rising  with  the  sun,  Dennis  set  about  making  a  more 
careful  examination  of  the  hull  of  the  Maid  Marian. 
The  leaks  in  her  timbers  were  rather  more  serious  than 
he  had  supposed.  Clearly  they  would  prevent  her  from 
drifting  out  to  sea  on  the  tide,  but  they  would  also  render 
her  final  break-up  inevitable  in  the  event  of  a  violent 
storm  from  the  northwest.  There  were  signs  on  the 
face  of  the  cliff  that  at  times  the  waves  dashed  over  the 
narrow  beach  of  sand  against  the  wall  of  rock  beyond. 
In  these  latitudes,  as  the  fate  of  the  Maid  Marian  proved, 
storms  arose  without  warning,  and  with  incredible  swift- 
ness ;  and  it  behooved  Dennis  to  make  all  speed  in  saving 
the  ship's  stores. 

At  low  tide  on  this  day,  and  on  many  that  followed, 
he  worked  hard  at  his  task.  He  rigged  up  a  block  and 
pulley  on  the  waist  by  means  of  which  he  was  able  to 
hoist  casks  and  other  heavy  objects  up  the  hatchways 
and  lower  them  over  the  side  of  the  vessel.  It  was  more 
difficult  to  convey  them  from  the  vessel  to  a  place  of 
safety  beyond  the  reach  of  the  tide.  At  first  he  tried 
to  haul  them  by  a  rope,  but  finding  soon  that  he 


SALVAGE 

succeeded  only  in  working  up  a  ridge  of  sand  which 
rendered  haulage  exhausting  and  in  some  cases  impos- 
sible, he  bethought  himself  of  the  device  of  employing 
rollers,  such  as  he  had  seen  used  by  fishermen  on  the 
beach  at  home.  It  was  an  easy  matter,  with  the  tools 
now  at  hand,  to  lop  off  and  strip  some  straight  boughs 
suited  to  his  purpose,  and  upon  these  he  brought,  slowly 
and  not  without  pains,  the  bulkier  goods  to  safe  harbor- 
age. The  tide  always  rose  about  the  vessel  too  soon 
for  his  impatience,  but  the  work  was  arduous,  the  inter- 
vals were  really  needed  for  rest,  and  they  gave  oppor- 
tunities of  furthering  his  acquaintance  with  the  monkey. 

His  relations  with  Mirandola,  indeed,  were  placed  on 
a  sound  and  satisfactory  footing  long  before  he  had 
emptied  the  hull.  The  biscuits  were  invaluable.  At  in- 
tervals, now  long,  now  short,  he  would  throw  one  toward 
the  monkey,  which  watched  all  his  doings  at  the  wreck 
day  by  day  with  unfailing  regularity.  Little  by  little 
he  diminished  the  length  of  his  throw,  until,  on  the  third 
day  after  his  first  lesson,  Mirandola  had  gained  sufficient 
confidence  to  approach  him  to  within  a  few  inches.  On 
the  fourth  day,  after  keeping  the  monkey  waiting  longer 
than  usual,  Dennis  took  a  biscuit  from  his  pouch,  held 
it  for  a  moment  between  his  fingers,  then  put  it  back 
again. 

"It  is  time,  Mirandola,"  he  said,  "that  your  education 
was  completed.  You  are,  I  verily  believe,  as  wise  as  a 
serpent;  will  you  not  believe  that  I  am  harmless  as  a 

39 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

dove?  This  is  the  same  biscuit  I  stowed  but  now  in  my 
pouch ;  it  is  for  you ;  it  is  yours  if  you  will  take  it  man- 
nerly. No,  I  will  not  cast  it  on  the  sand;  it  is  more 
seemly  to  take  it  from  my  hand,  and,  I  do  assure  you, 
it  will  be  no  less  relishable.  Come,  then,  dear  wiseacre ; 
have  I  ever  deceived  you?  Show  a  little  confidence  in 
your  true  friend  and  well-wisher." 

He  held  forth  the  biscuit,  with  an  alluring  smile. 
Mirandola  cocked  his  head  on  one  side,  gazed  at  this 
dispenser  of  delectable  things  with  a  searching  solemnity, 
and  then  crawled  forward  with  watchful  eye,  dubiously 
halting  more  than  once.  At  length  it  came  to  Dennis' 
feet,  and  sat  up,  with  so  gravely  sad  an  expression  that 
Dennis  found  it  hard  not  to  laugh.  Then,  thrusting  up 
its  long  arm,  it  made  a  grab  at  the  biscuit. 

"Not  so,  Mirandola,"  said  Dennis,  holding  it  beyond  the 
monkey's  reach.  "Manners  maketh  man ;  assuredly  they 
will  not  mar  monkeys.  Ape  the  gentle  philosopher,  your 
namesake;  be  courteous  and  discreet.  Now,  come  and 
try  it  once  more." 

He  lowered  the  biscuit  slowly,  keeping  his  eyes  on 
the  creature's  face.  But  with  a  suddenness  that  took  him 
aback,  Mirandola  raised  himself  on  his  hind  legs,  flung 
out  an  arm,  and,  before  Dennis  could  withdraw  it,  held 
the  biscuit  in  his  skinny  paw. 

"Well  away !"  laughed  Dennis.  "I  may  keep  my  breath 
to  cool  my  porridge,  for  all  the  effect  my  words  have 
upon  your  savage  nature." 

40 


SALVAGE 

Then,  to  his  surprise,  the  monkey  came  to  him  again, 
and  held  out  its  hand. 

"You  shall  not  be  disappointed,"  he  said.  "Not  for 
the  world  would  I  reject  your  advances.  Here  is  a 
biscuit,  and  with  this,  shall  we  say,  our  friendship  is 
sealed?" 

And  it  was  not  long  before  Mirandola  would  sit  upon 
his  knee,  and  take  food  from  his  hand  with  all  manner- 
liness ;  and,  its  distrust  gone,  showed  itself  to  be  as  affec- 
tionate and  devoted  as  a  dog. 

Dennis  availed  himself  in  other  ways  of  the  hours 
when  the  tide  interrupted  his  labor  with  the  stores. 
There  was  no  lack  of  planking  and  tarpaulin  in  the 
vessel;  these  he  utilized  in  building  himself  a  little  hut 
about  two  trees  that  grew  near  enough  together  to  form 
uprights  for  his  roof.  Then  he  erected  two  small  sheds 
close  by  wherein  to  shelter  his  goods  from  the  weather. 
At  first  lie  fumbled  with  the  unfamiliar  tools,  not  omit- 
ting to  pinch  his  fingers  as  he  hammered  in  the  nails. 
But  he  soon  acquired  a  certain  dexterity,  and  was  in- 
deed mightily  pleased  with  his  handiwork. 

Every  now  and  again  he  made  a  trip  across  the  island, 
to  discover  whether  any  vessels  were  in  sight.  Once  or 
twice  he  descried  a  sail  on  the  horizon;  once,  indeed,  he 
felt  some  excitement  and  anxiety  as  he  thought  he  saw 
a  bark  under  full  sail  bearing  straight  for  the  shore. 
But  in  this  he  was  mistaken;  the  vessel  altered  her 
course.  Dennis,  watching  her  diminishing  form,  hardly 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

knew  whether  to  be  glad  or  sorry.  He  was  in  truth 
too  busy  for  self-commiseration;  work  filled  his  days, 
unbroken  sleep  his  nights.  His  feeling  of  loneliness  had 
almost  entirely  passed  away,  for  Mirandola  was  his 
inseparable  companion,  and  it  pleased  his  fancy  to  talk 
to  the  monkey  as  to  a  human  being. 

So  engrossing  had  his  labor  been  that  he  had  taken 
no  account  of  the  passage  of  time.  It  came  upon  him 
with  a  shock,  once,  that  the  unnumbered  days  were  flit- 
ting away.  The  idea  that  he  was  doomed  to  grow  old 
upon  this  island,  and  linger  out  his  years  in  endless 
solitude,  struck  his  imagination  with  a  chill,  and  set  him 
climbing  the  cliff  in  a  kind  of  frenzy,  to  scan  once  more 
the  wide  horizon  for  a  sail.  If  at  that  moment  a  vessel 
had  hove  in  sight,  he  would  have  flown  a  flag,  fired  a 
musket  to  attract  attention,  reckless  what  crew  it  bore, 
so  deep  was  his  yearning  to  see  a  fellow-man.  When 
the  fit  passed,  it  left  him  with  a  new  desire.  Never  yet 
had  the  possibility  occurred  to  him  of  leaving  the  island. 
Could  he  construct  a  raft,  or  build  a  boat — nay,  was 
there  a  chance  of  making  the  Maid  Marian  herself,  bat- 
tered as  she  was,  seaworthy?  The  absurdity  of  attempt- 
ing to  navigate  single-handed  a  bark  of  near  two  hun- 
dred tons  set  him  laughing;  but  the  idea  suggested  a 
new  outlet  for  his  energy,  just  at  the  time  when  the 
conclusion  of  his  salvage  work  had  bereft  him  of  occupa- 
tion. 

He  became  fired  with  the  purpose  of  saving  the  vessel. 

42 


SALVAGE 

The  weather  hitherto  had  been  perfect;  but  sooner  or 
later  a  storm  must  come  and  then  the  ship  would  be 
ground  to  splinters  against  the  cliff.  Was  it  possible  to 
float  her?  He  had  unloaded  what  he  imagined  to  be 
a  good  many  tons  of  stores ;  thus  lightened,  could  she  be 
moved?  If  he  could  succeed  in  floating  her,  whither 
could  she  be  taken?  His  tours  of  the  island  had  failed 
to  discover  any  harbor ;  there  was  little  to  gain  and  much 
to  lose  by  allowing  himself  to  drift  about  aimlessly  in 
such  a  hulk.  Suddenly  an  idea  struck  him.  Would  it 
not  be  possible  to  devise  some  means  of  floating  her  up 
the  gully,  round  the  shoulder  of  the  cliff?  Her  draught 
was  not  great;  at  high  tide  the  water  was  deep  enough 
to  carry  her  many  yards  beyond  her  present  position, 
to  a  point  where  she  would  be  at  once  invisible  from  the 
open  sea  and  protected  from  the  weather. 

At  the  next  fall  of  the  tide  he  made  a  thorough 
inspection  of  the  wreck.  It  was  easy  to  locate  the  leaks, 
for  at  every  ebb  the  water  that  had  entered  the  vessel 
at  the  flood  gushed  out  in  tiny  cascades.  Many  a  time 
he  had  seen  ships  careened  and  caulked  in  the  dockyard 
at  Plymouth.  He  had  plenty  of  rope  of  which  to  make 
oakum,  and  of  tar  more  than  enough  to  meet  his  needs ; 
in  his  search  through  the  vessel  he  had  lighted  on  no 
caulking-iron,  but  a  long  nail  would  serve ;  and  it  would 
go  hard  with  him,  he  thought,  but  he  would  make  the 
old  hulk  sound  and  seaworthy  ere  many  days  were  gone. 

He  found  an  unexpected  assistant  in  Mirandola.  He 

43 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

had  teased  out  but  an  inch  or  two  of  rope  when  the 
monkey  squatted  down  by  his  side  and  began  with  his 
strong  nimble  fingers  to  copy  him,  looking  up  in  his  face 
with  an  air  of  such  busy  importance  that  Dennis  was 
fain  to  lie  back  and  laugh. 

"By  my  troth,  Sir  Mirandola,"  he  said,  "this  is  friend- 
ship indeed.  And  you  outdo  me,  on  my  soul;  you  pick 
two  inches  to  my  one.  Tis  not  the  daintiest  of  work 
for  fingers  untrained  to  it,  and  if  it  pleases  you,  why, 
I  will  e'en  leave  it  to  you,  and  admire  this  unwonted 
usefulness  in  a  philosopher." 

But  he  found  that  when  he  ceased,  the  monkey  ceased 
also. 

"Poor  knave !"  he  said.  "You  see  not  the  end.  'Tis 
but  an  apish  trick,  after  all.  Well,  God  forbid  that  I 
should  judge  your  motive.  I  am  thankful  for  your  help, 
and  we  will  work  together." 

Between  them  the  two  collaborators  soon  had  a  fine 
heap  of  oakum  ready  for  use,  and  a  couple  of  days'  hard 
work  at  low  tide  sufficed  to  caulk  all  the  seams.  Miran- 
dola's  share  in  this  second  part  of  the  job  gave  Dennis 
more  amusement.  The  busy  creature  solemnly  dabbed 
tar  on  sound  parts  of  the  timbers,  and  chattered  with 
disgust  when  he  discovered  that  the  stuff  clung  to  his 
hairy  skin,  defying  all  his  efforts  to  get  rid  of  it. 

"F  faith,  I  named  you  more  fittingly  than  I  wot," 
quoth  Dennis.  "Pico,  your  illustrious  namesake,  was  a 
gentleman  of  rare  and  delicate  taste.  Touch  pitch  and 

44 


SALVAGE 

thou  art  defiled.  But  a  little  turpentine,  mayhap,  will 
cleanse  the  outward  spots ;  and  as  for  your  inward  hurt 
— what  think  you  of  a  spread  of  honey  on  your  biscuit  ?" 

Mirandola  thought  nobly  of  the  new  delicacy,  and 
came  in  time  to  look  for  honey  whenever  he  had  imitated 
Dennis  with  more  than  usual  energy. 

The  leaks  having  been  well  caulked,  Dennis  proceeded 
to  pump  the  water  from  the  lower  parts  of  the  hold. 
He  awaited  the  next  high  tide  with  great  eagerness. 
To  his  joy  the  vessel  floated,  and  rode  fairly  upright 
on  her  keel.  The  tide  carried  her  several  yards  up  the 
beach,  leaving  her  again  high  and  dry  at  the  ebb. 

But  Dennis  now  found  himself  faced  by  a  difficulty. 
He  wished  to  get  the  vessel  round  the  shoulder  of  the 
cliff,  so  that  the  tide  might  carry  her  up  the  chine  to 
the  pool  below  his  hut  and  sheds.  The  distance  was 
barely  eighty  yards,  but  he  had  noticed,  from  the  move- 
ment of  a  log  floating  some  little  way  out,  that  the  set 
of  the  current  was  from  north  to  west;  so  that  if  once 
she  was  allowed  to  float  free,  and  felt  the  force  of  the 
current,  she  would  probably  drift  away  in  the  opposite 
direction  from  what  he  desired.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
she  were  driven  too  high  on  the  beach,  she  might  stick 
so  firmly  in  the  sand  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  move 
her,  and  then  she  would  lie  at  the  mercy  of  the  first 
northwest  gale. 

His  little  nautical  knowledge  was  at  first  at  a  loss. 

"Mirandola,  your  speechless  wisdom  is  of  no  avail," 

45 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

he  said  ruefully,  as  he  sat  at  his  fire  one  evening,  feeding 
the  monkey  with  pease  porridge.  "You  and  I  are  both 
landsmen;  unlike  you,  I  adventured  forth,  to  gain  gold, 
and  fight  the  don  Spaniards,  if  the  fates  should  so  or- 
dain. Here  is  never  a  Spaniard  to  fight;  and  as  for 
gold,  the  wealth  of  Croesus  would  not  at  this  moment 
benefit  me  a  jot.  If  I  had  been  bred  to  the  sea  now, 
I  should  not  be  at  this  pass." 

But  long  cogitation,  and  another  visit  to  the  ship,  de- 
termined a  course  of  action.  The  windlass,  he  discovered, 
was  uninjured,  and  though  it  was  very  stiff,  he  could 
still  manage  to  turn  it.  A  big  jagged  rock  jutted  out 
from  the  cliff  near  the  shoulder  round  which  the  vessel 
must  be  warped.  To  this  rock  he  carried  a  rope  from 
the  stump  of  the  mainmast  and  securely  fastened  it. 
This  would  prevent  the  vessel  from  drifting  out  to  sea. 
Then,  with  a  hatchet  from  the  ship's  stores  he  cut  a 
number  of  thick  branches  from  the  trees  along  the  gully, 
and  pitching  them  into  the  pool  floated  them  one  by 
one  on  to  the  beach  alongside  the  wreck.  There  was 
plenty  of  rope  on  board  to  fashion  these  into  a  stout 
raft,  on  to  which,  with  the  aid  of  the  windlass,  he  low- 
ered a  kedge  anchor  just  sufficiently  heavy  to  hold  the 
vessel  in  a  calm.  It  was  a  matter  of  some  difficulty  to 
get  the  anchor  so  evenly  adjusted  on  the  raft  that  the 
latter  would  not  turn  turtle,  but  after  some  patient  ma- 
neuvering Dennis  arranged  it  squarely  in  the  center, 
and  when  the  tide  came  in  the  whole  floated  with  a  fair 

46 


SALVAGE 

appearance  of  stability.  Then  with  a  long  pole  Dennis 
cautiously  punted  the  raft  out  beyond  the  gully,  paying 
out  as  he  went  a  stout  cable,  connecting  the  anchor  with 
the  windlass.  Some  thirty  yards  beyond  the  gully,  at  a 
point  near  enough  inshore  to  be  beyond  the  reach  of 
the  current,  he  prepared  to  drop  the  anchor.  It  was  too 
heavy  for  him  even  to  move ;  the  only  plan  that  suggested 
itself  was  to  bring  about  what  he  had  up  to  that  moment 
been  most  anxious  to  prevent — the  raft  must  now  be 
intentionally  upset.  One  by  one  he  cut  away  the  lash- 
ings of  the  outermost  logs  on  the  seaward  side.  At 
last  he  felt  by  the  movement  of  the  raft  that  only  his 
own  weight  prevented  the  crazy  structure  from  turn- 
ing over.  He  slid  from  the  raft  into  the  sea;  the  far 
side  sank  and  the  anchor  slipped  over  and  went  with 
a  thud  to  the  bottom.  Then  the  raft  righted  itself  and 
Dennis  scrambled  aboard. 

The  rest  was  easy.  When  the  tide  ebbed  it  carried 
the  wreck  inch  by  inch  toward  the  anchor,  for  with  the 
aid  of  the  windlass  Dennis  was  able  to  keep  the  cable 
constantly  taut,  while  at  the  same  time  he  paid  out 
the  rope  connecting  the  vessel  with  the  shore.  A  couple 
of  tides  brought  him  in  this  way  up  to  the  anchor,  then, 
transferring  the  shore  cable  to  a  stout  tree  some  distance 
up  the  gully,  he  slacked  off  from  the  kedge  when  the 
tide  was  running  up  and  allowed  the  wreck  to  be  carried 
shoreward.  In  this  way  the  Maid  Marian  floated  slowly 
up  the  gully  on  the  flood,  and  another  couple  of  tides 

47 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

brought  her  within  a  few  yards  of  the  pool,  which  he 
designed  for  her  permanent  harborage. 

Below  this  there  was  a  narrow  bar  that  threatened 
to  balk  him.  At  low  tide,  indeed,  he  had  to  shovel 
away  a  large  amount  of  sand  in  the  middle  of  the 
channel,  and  once  came  near  losing  his  temper  with 
Mirandola,  who,  with  well-meant  industry,  and  a  quite 
innocent  pleasure,  set  about  scooping  back  the  sand  as 
it  was  dug  out.  But  the  animal  tired  of  this  fatiguing 
avocation;  the  difficulty  was  overcome;  and  when  at 
last  the  vessel  rode  gently  into  the  little  natural  harbor 
below  the  hut,  Dennis  hailed  the  success  of  his  long 
toil  with  a  cheerful  "Huzza!"  and  broached  a  cask  of 
sack.  Of  this  indulgence  he  partly  repented,  for  the 
monkey  seized  upon  the  mug  when  he  laid  it  down, 
and  drained  it  greedily. 

"No,  no,  my  friend,"  said  Dennis  gravely.  "Wine 
maketh  glad  the  heart  of  man;  I  do  not  read  that  it 
is  in  any  wise  a  drink  for  brutes.  And  all  your  phi- 
losophy would  not  reconcile  me  to  a  drunken  Miran- 
dola. Be  not  among  wine-bibbers,  says  the  wisest  of 
kings  and  men;  I  bethink  me  he  says  also,  My  son, 
eat  thou  honey,  for  it  is  good!  You  shall  have  honey, 
my  venerable  son." 


CHAPTER  V 

THE   EDGE  OF  THE   MARSH 

During  his  operations  about  the  wreck,  Dennis  had 
noticed  that  the  monkey  showed  a  strange  aversion  for 
the  sea.  At  low  tide,  when  the  vessel  was  high  and  dry, 
he  quite  cheerfully  accompanied  his  benefactor  on  board ; 
but  as  a  rule,  when  he  saw  the  tide  rolling  in,  he  chat- 
tered angrily,  swarmed  down  the  side  of  the  vessel,  and 
posted  himself  at  the  nearest  point  above  high-water 
mark.  Only  on  the  one  occasion  when  he  mounted  the 
windlass,  did  he  remain  on  deck  when  the  tide  was  at 
flood ;  there  he  seemed  to  regard  himself  as  out  of  reach 
of  the  waves.  Dennis  wondered  whether  the  dread  of 
the  sea  was  a  characteristic  of  the  monkey  tribe  or  wheth- 
er Mirandola  had  at  some  time  suffered  a  sea-change 
which  he  was  determined  not  to  repeat. 

He  took  endless  pleasure  in  studying  the  amiable 
creature,  and  when,  his  work  with  the  ship  being  finished, 
he  began  once  more  to  take  lengthy  strolls  across  the 
island,  he  drew  a  new  delight  from  the  companionship 
of  the  monkey.  The  friendship  being  so  firmly  estab- 
lished, Mirandola  showed  off  his  accomplishments  with 
a  freedom  he  had  not  displayed  when  he  regarded  this 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

new-comer  with  distrust  and  suspicion.  Dennis  laughed 
to  see  his  antics  in  the  trees.  He  would  curl  his  long 
tail  about  a  branch,  and  swing  to  and  fro  with  manifest, 
enjoyment.  Sometimes,  clutching  a  banana  with  one 
hand,  he  would  pick  another  with  one  foot,  and  hold  a 
third  to  his  mouth  with  the  second  hand.  Sometimes 
when  he  saw  Dennis  holding  his  forehead  in  a  brown 
study,  he  would  rub  his  long  gaunt  arms  over  his  own 
brow  with  a  wistful  look  that  brought  a  smile  to  the 
lad's  face.  He  was  amiability  itself,  and  showed  genuine 
distress  when  Dennis  took  occasion  to  scold  him  for  some 
piece  of  inconvenient  prankishness. 

Now  that  his  thoughts  were  no  longer  engrossed  with 
his  salvage  work,  Dennis  more  often  speculated  on  his 
future.  The  prospect  was  not  very  encouraging.  Sup- 
posing he  could  carry  out  his  half-formed  purpose  of 
building  a  boat,  what  chance  was  there  of  surviving  a 
voyage  across  the  Atlantic  in  a  vessel  that,  untrained 
as  he  was  in  handicraft,  must  necessarily  be  a  clumsy 
thing?  And  unless  he  could  risk  an  ocean  voyage  he 
felt  that  he  had  better  remain  where  he  was.  No  Euro- 
pean nation  but  the  Spaniards  and  the  Portuguese  had 
settlements  on  the  American  coast.  What  might  be  ex- 
pected at  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  he  knew  full  well. 
Had  he  not  heard  from  the  lips  of  one  Master  John 
Merridew  fearsome  tales  of  their  treachery  and  cruelty? 
John  Merridew  had  sailed  with  Captain  John  Hawkins 
to  the  West  Indies,  with  Master  Francis  Drake  as  one 

50 


THE  EDGE  OF  THE  MARSH 

of  the  company.  Forced  by  foul  weather  into  the  port 
of  St.  John  d'Ulua,  the  captain  made  great  account  of 
a  certain  Spanish  gentleman  named  Augustine  de  Villa 
Nueva,  and  used  him  like  a  nobleman.  Yet  this  same 
Augustine,  sitting  at  dinner  one  day  with  the  captain, 
would  certainly  have  killed  him  with  a  poniard  which  he 
had  secretly  in  his  sleeve,  had  not  one  John  Chamber- 
lain espied  the  weapon  and  prevented  the  foul  deed.  And 
recalling  Merridew's  narrative,  Dennis  wondered  what 
had  become  of  those  hundred  poor  wretches  who,  when 
victuals  ran  short,  and  the  ship's  company  were  driven 
to  eat  parrots  and  monkeys,  and  the  very  rats  that 
swarmed  in  the  hold,  preferred  to  shift  for  themselves 
on  shore,  rather  than  starve  on  shipboard.  In  imagina- 
tion he  saw  that  touching  scene,  when  the  general,  as 
Merridew  called  Captain  Hawkins,  gave  to  each  man 
five  yards  of  cloth,  embraced  them  in  turn,  counseled 
them  to  serve  God  and  love  one  another ;  and  thus  courte- 
ously gave  them  a  sorrowful  farewell,  promising,  if  God 
sent  him  safe  home  to  England,  to  do  what  he  could  to 
bring  home  such  as  remained  alive.  That  Captain 
Hawkins  would  fulfil  his  promise  Dennis  believed;  but 
how  many  of  those  Englishmen  were  still  living?  He 
reflected  that  he  at  least  had  food  and  present  safety; 
compared  with  theirs  his  lot  was  a  king's. 

But  he  was  not  to  escape  misfortune  altogether.  One 
day  the  storm  he  had  so  long  been  expecting 'broke  over 
the  island,  hurling  great  seas  into  the  mouth  of  the 

Si 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

chine,  threatening  to  dash  the  Maid  Marian  against  the 
rocks  or  sweep  her  out  into  the  ocean.  In  the  midst 
of  pelting  blinding  rain  Dennis  strove  to  insure  her 
safety.  She  wrenched  at  her  anchor;  every  moment  he 
feared  lest  her  mooring  ropes  should  be  snapped;  he 
could  do  little  but  keep  a  watch  on  the  fastenings.  And 
while  he  was  thus  watching,  a  roaring  flood  passed 
through  the  gully  from  the  plateau  above,  swamping 
his  hut,  washing  away  some  of  his  hardly  won  stores; 
and  the  fierce  blast  tore  off  the  roof  of  one  of  his  sheds, 
exposing  its  contents  to  all  the  fury  of  the  weather. 

Next  day  he  did  what  he  could  to  repair  the  damage. 
Fortunately,  much  of  his  perishable  goods  was  contained 
in  stout  boxes  which  he  always  kept  securely  fastened, 
and  the  things  he  lost  were  those  he  could  best  spare. 

In  the  afternoon  of  that  day,  he  went  across  to  the 
opposite  side  of  the  island  as  he  was  wont  to  do  at 
intervals,  to  take  a  lookout  from  the  high  cliff  there. 
He  wondered  whether  the  storm  had  cast  any  other 
ill-fated  vessel  upon  the  shore.  But,  scanning  the  whole 
horizon,  he  saw  nothing  but  league  upon  league  of  rest- 
less sea. 

"Our  solitude  is  not  to  be  disturbed,  Mirandola,"  he 
said  to  the  monkey,  "for  which  let  us  be  thankful.  Or 
ought  we  to  deplore  it?  I  wish  you  could  speak,  my 
'friend,  and  tell  me  something  of  your  history.  Are  you 
the  last  of  your  race,  I  wonder?  Well,  so  am  I.  I  have 
no  kith  nor  kin;  nor,  as  it  appears,  have  you.  I  have 

52 


THE  EDGE  OF  THE  MARSH 

a  humble  estate  in  an  island,  to  be  sure,  somewhat  larger 
than  this.  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  this  island  is 
yours;  it  is  a  mark  of  nobility  of  soul — or  poverty  of 
spirit?  I  can  not  say — that  you  do  not  regard  me  as  a 
supplanter.  Good  Holies,  my  steward,  would  not  brook 
the  intrusion  of  any  adventurer  on  my  lands.  Heigh-ho ! 
How  fares  the  old  fellow,  I  wonder?  How  he  shook 
his  old  head  when  I  acquainted  him  with  my  purpose 
to  join  Sir  Martin  Blunt  in  his  voyage  to  the  Spanish 
Main!  'God  save  you,  sir!'  he  said,  and  asked  whether 
he  should  sell  my  whippets !  One  thing  I  know,  Miran- 
dola!  that  if  it  please  God  to  bring  me  safe  home  in 
season,  Holies  will  give  me  a  faithful  account  of  his 
stewardship.  Let  me  think  I  am  your  steward,  good 
my  friend.  And  now  let  us  return  to  our  honey-pot." 

On  the  way  back,  Dennis  struck  somewhat  to  the  left 
of  his  usual  path,  to  skirt  the  marsh  on  its  southwestern 
instead  of  its  northeastern  side.  It  was  far  larger  in 
area  than  when  he  had  first  seen  it;  its  outlet  was  too 
narrow  to  carry  off  the  surplusage  due  to  the  tremendous 
rains.  Dennis  was  picking  his  way  around  the  oozy 
edge,  letting  his  thoughts  travel  back  to  the  pleasant  land 
of  Devon,  when  suddenly  he  was  brought  up  short  by 
the  sight  of  a  mark  in  the  soft  earth,  the  strangeness 
of  which  mightily  surprised  and  perplexed  him.  Paral- 
lel with  his  own  tracks  there  ran  for  a  few  yards  a  faint 
ribbon-like  track — such  a  track  as  might  be  made  by  a 
large  cartwheel  that  had  rested  very  lightly  on  the  sur- 

53 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

face.  It  was  a  single  track;  following  its  course,  he 
found  that  it  disappeared  into  the  water,  just  as  he  had 
seen  the  mark  of  a  cart-wheel  disappear  into  a  roadside 
horse-pond  at  home. 

He  looked  around.  There  was  nothing  to  account  for 
the  mark.  He  scouted  the  idea  that  it  had  been  actually 
made  by  a  wheel;  a  vehicle  must  have  been  drawn  by 
animals,  and  there  were  no  hoof-marks  to  match.  With 
all  his  puzzling  he  could  find  no  explanation,  and  though 
he  looked  warily  about  him  as  he  went  on  his  way,  with 
some  return  of  his  old  feeling  of  nervousness,  he  saw  no 
sign  to  suggest  that  the  island  had  been  visited. 

It  was  a  day  or  two  before  he  again  found  himself 
near  the  marsh.  He  had  been  fishing  from  the  base  of 
the  high  cliff  that  formed  his  usual  lookout.  A  kind  of 
natural  pier  of  broken  rock  jutted  out  from  the  cliff 
seaward,  and  the  deep  water  on  each  side  was  the  favorite 
resort  at  high  tide  of  shoals  of  small  fish,  which  chose 
it,  he  supposed,  because  the  depth  was  not  great  enough 
for  the  ground  sharks  that  sometimes  made  their  appear- 
ance off  the  shore,  and  the  little  fish  could  disport  them- 
selves there  in  security. 

Carrying  his  catch  on  a  string — enough  for  his  own 
dinner;  for  Mirandola  would  not  touch  it — he  passed 
again  by  the  brink  of  the  marsh,  and  once  more  was 
puzzled  by  the  wheel-like  track  which  he  had  seen  before 
and  been  unable  to  explain.  The  marsh  had  somewhat 
shrunk  in  the  interval ;  the  receding  water  had  left  more 

54 


THE  EDGE  OF  THE  MARSH 

of  the  track  visible ;  and  the  outer  soil  having  been  baked 
hard  by  the  sun,  the  strange  imprint  was  clearer  and 
more  definite. 

It  occurred  to  Dennis  now  to  attempt  to  trace  the 
mark  in  the  opposite  direction,  away  from  the  point 
where  it  disappeared  in  the  water.  It  speedily  grew 
fainter  as  he  came  to  harder  soil,  and  he  lost  it  altogether 
where  it  entered  undergrowth  which  had  no  doubt  been 
partly  submerged  when  the  marsh  was  at  its  highest. 
But  after  some  search  he  found  it  again  where  it  emerged 
from  the  rank  vegetation,  and  from  that  point  he  traced 
it  with  little  difficulty,  for  it  kept  fairly  close  to  the 
margin  of  the  lake.  Its  resemblance  to  the  track  of  a 
wheel  had  now  ceased;  not  even  the  most  rickety  of 
carts  driven  by  a  drunken  tranter  on  a  Devonshire  lane, 
could  have  made  such  erratic  movements  as  must  have 
caused  this  shallow,  winding  mark  on  the  soil.  Dennis 
followed  its  curves  with  persistent  curiosity  not  unmixed 
with  a  vague  uneasiness.  Mirandola  accompanied  him, 
springing  lightly  from  bough  to  bough  of  the  trees  near- 
est the  edge  of  the  marsh,  descending  with  extraordinary 
quickness  and  loping  along  the  ground  where  gaps  in- 
tervened, or  the  fringe  of  the  woodland  belt  took  a  trend 
inward. 

At  length  the  tracking  came  perforce  to  an  end.  Again 
the  trail  disappeared  into  the  water,  and  Dennis  halted, 
feeling  a  little  vexed  that  his  patience  was,  after  all,  to 
bear  no  fruit.  He  looked  round  for  Mirandola.  The 

55 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

monkey  had  disappeared,  exploring,  no  doubt,  thought 
Dennis,  a  close-packed  thicket  that  came  within  a  few 
yards  of  the  morass,  having  apparently  crowded  out  all 
nobler  trees  save  one  slender  cedar  which,  dominating 
the  undergrowth,  seemed  taller  than  it.  really  was. 

Dennis  was  about  to  give  up  the  problem  as  hopeless 
and  go  on  his  way,  when  suddenly  he  heard  Mirandola 
chattering  in  a  manner  that  was  new  to  him.  A  moment 
after,  the  monkey  sprang  from  the  thicket  into  the  tree, 
and  climbed  with  frantic  speed  to  the  very  top,  where 
he  sat  gibbering  and  shaking  with  terror.  Dennis,  won- 
dering what  had  perturbed  him,  took  a  step  forward, 
then  started  back  in  a  cold  shiver.  A  huge  serpent  was 
rearing  itself  from  the  midst  of  the  undergrowth  and 
winding  its  coils  about  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 

Mirandola  on  the  topmost  branch  had  now  ceased  his 
chattering,  and  clung  watching  the  monster  with  dilated 
eyes.  The  poor  creature  was  helpless.  To  descend  from 
his  perch  would  have  been  fatal;  there  was  no  other 
tree  at  hand  to  which  he  might  escape.  Indeed,  under 
the  fascination  of  the  serpent's  baleful  eyes,  as  it  slowly 
drew  its  immense  coils  up  the  trunk,  the  monkey  lost  all 
power  of  movement;  and  Dennis  himself,  even  with  the 
thicket  between  him  and  the  monster,  felt  a  sort  of  chill 
paralysis  as  he  watched  its  sinister  movements.  For 
half  a  minute  he  stood  rooted  to  the  spot;  then,  making 
an  effort  to  throw  off  this  dire  oppression,  he  tried  to 
think  of  some  means  of  helping  the  monkey.  At  that 

56 


THE  EDGE  OF  THE  MARSH 

moment  of  danger  he  was  conscious  for  the  time  of  the 
strength  of  his  affection  for  the  animal  whose  compan- 
ionship had  done  so  much  to  relieve  the  awful  solitude 
of  the  island.  Unless  he  intervened,  Mirandola  was 
doomed;  and  the  thought  of  losing  Mirandola  filled  him 
with  a  startled  sense  of  grief  at  his  possible  loss,  and 
inspired  him  with  a  fierce  longing  to  slay  this  monster 
that  was  crawling  inch  by  inch  toward  its  prey. 

His  first  impulse  was  to  run  back  to  his  hut  for  the 
gun  he  kept  there  ready  loaded;  but  slow  as  the  ser- 
pent's progress  was,  before  he  could  return  to  the  spot 
the  tragedy  would  have  ended.  Then  he  remembered 
how  the  reptiles  in  the  woods  at  home  were  killed.  A 
blow  on  the  vertebrae  crippled  them ;  could  he  cripple 
this  huge  creature,  which  even  yet  had  not  heaved  all 
its  length  into  the  tree?  His  only  weapon  was  the 
sailor's  clasp-knife  which  he  always  carried  at  his  girdle. 
He  opened  it  impulsively,  then  hesitated.  If  he  failed 
to  hit  the  vertebras,  and  dealt  only  a  flesh  wound,  he 
might  perchance  save  the  monkey,  but  could  he  then 
save  himself?  He  knew  nothing  of  a  boa  constrictor's 
power  of  movement ;  but  his  instinct  told  him  that,  if  once 
enfolded  in  those  monstrous  coils,  he  must  inevitably  be 
crushed  to  death.  But  he  could  not  stand  and  see  his 
pet  mangled  and  devoured:  the  serpent,  moving  delib- 
erately, as  though  aware  of  its  victim's  paralysis,  was 
not  yet  beyond  his  reach.  Springing  through  the  under- 
growth, he  marked  a  spot  some  distance  from  the  reptile's 

57 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

tail,  and  stabbed  with  all  his  force  at  the  center  of  the 
sleek,  round  mass. 

Next  moment  he  was  thrown  sprawling  on  the  ground 
by  a  flick  of  the  tail,  as  the  upper  part  of  the  serpent's 
body  writhed  convulsively  under  the  blow.  He  jerked 
himself  to  his  feet  and  leaped  away  through  the  under- 
growth in  a  panic  of  fear.  A  few  steps  brought  him  to 
open  ground,  and  then,  crushing  down  his  nervous  terror, 
he  looked  back.  The  coils  were  slipping  down  the  tree, 
and  in  a  moment  it  was  clear  that  the  serpent's  power 
was  gone ;  its  huge  bulk  moved  uncontrollably ;  its  motor 
force  was  destroyed.  Dennis  ventured  to  enter  the 
thicket  again.  When  the  serpent  reached  the  ground, 
it  writhed  as  he  had  seen  injured  eels  and  earthworms 
writhe,  but  its  movements  were  all  involuntary;  Miran- 
dola  was  saved. 

The  monkey  was  now  chattering  volubly,  but  still 
clung  to  his  perch.  Clearly  he  would  not  venture  to 
descend  while  his  enemy  moved.  For  some  time  Dennis 
watched  it;  then,  feeling  that  he  must  put  an  end  to  its 
maimed  life,  he  hurried  away  to  fetch  his  gun.  A  bullet 
in  the  head — and  the  reptile  lay  motionless. 

Even  then  some  little  time  elapsed  before  Mirandola 
yielded  to  Dennis'  persuasive  calls  and  slid,  still  some- 
what nervously,  to  the  ground.  He  avoided  the  reptile's 
body  and  scampered  away  with  shrill  cries  to  the  open. 
When  Dennis  overtook  him,  the  monkey  sprang  upon  his 
shoulder,  and  so  they  returned  to  the  hut. 

58 


THE  EDGE  OF  THE  MARSH 

After  this  thrilling  experience  Dennis  felt  somewhat 
less  at  ease  in  his  peregrinations  of  the  island.  He  had 
come  to  think  that  he  had  nothing  to  fear  there,  so  long 
as  it  was  unvisited  by  men.  But  the  thickets  that  gave 
hiding  to  one  huge  reptile  might  harbor  many  more. 
Henceforth  he  walked  more  warily,  and  never  ventured 
far  from  his  hut  without  a  gun. 


59 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE   SPANISH    WHIP 

Dennis  had  given  up  the  idea  of  building  a  boat  as  a 
means  of  escape  from  the  island,  but  now  that  time  again 
hung  heavy  on  his  hands,  he  reverted  to  it  as  a  refuge 
from  the  tedium  of  idleness.  It  promised  to  give  him 
much  labor,  for,  unless  he  stripped  the  planking  from 
the  Maid  Marian,  he  must  needs  fell  trees  for  himself, 
and  prepare  his  timbers  as  well  as  his  unskill  could 
devise.  The  trees  of  the  island  were  for  the  most  part 
unknown  to  him;  and  he  was  not  aware  of  the  Indian 
practice  of  hollowing  out  a  cedar  trunk  with  fire  or 
hatchet.  In  his  wanderings  he  now  began  to  take  note 
of  the  different  species,  with  a  view  to  selecting  one 
that  would  best  suit  his  tools. 

One  day,  when  he  was  strolling  through  the  woodland 
on  this  errand,  he  was  amazed,  and  not  a  little  alarmed, 
to  hear,  from  some  spot  far  to  his  right,  what  seemed 
to  him  to  be  the  ring  of  axes.  He  halted,  incredulous. 
The  island,  he  was  assured,  had  no  other  inhabitant,  yet 
he  could  not  be  mistaken;  the  sound  of  tree-felling 
reminded  him  of  home,  and  he  felt  a  sudden  deep  yearn- 
ing for  the  combes  and  holts  of  far-off  Devon.  But  this 

60 


THE  SPANISH  WHIP 

feeling  was  immediately  quelled  by  a  sense  of  danger. 
Who  were  these  wood-cutters  ?  No  friends,  he  was  sure ; 
he  had  given  up  hope  of  finding  friends  upon  these  re- 
mote coasts.  And  if  not  friends,  discovery  by  these 
spelled  death  to  him,  or  slavery  to  which  death  would 
be  preferable. 

He  was  minded  to  turn  about  and  seek  safety  in  his 
hut.  Built  upon  the  edge  of  the  chine,  it  could  only  be 
discovered  by  careful  exploration  of  the  woodland,  and 
the  chine  was  all  but  invisible  from  the  sea.  There  he 
might  remain  in  hiding,  with  a  fair  chance  that  he  would 
not  be  found.  But  this  first  impulse  passed.  He  felt 
an  overmastering  curiosity  to  see  who  these  visitors  were. 
Whence  had  they  come,  he  wondered.  Why,  if  they 
came  from  the  distant  mainland,  had  they  crossed  the 
sea?  He  could  not  suppose  that  wood  was  lacking  upon 
the  shores  of  the  great  continent. 

Slowly,  with  infinite  caution,  he  began  to  thread  his 
way  toward  the  sound.  There  were  open  spaces  amid 
the  woodland,  though  he  dared  not  cross  these,  but  kept 
always  in  the  shelter  of  the  trees.  He  dreaded  lest 
Mirandola  should  betray  him  by  a  cry;  but  the  monkey 
leaped  from  bough  to  bough  almost  noiselessly,  as  if 
he,  too,  had  taken  alarm  from  the  unwonted  sound.  A 
few  weeks  before  Dennis  himself  would  have  found  it 
difficult  to  make  his  way  through  the  woods  and  the 
undergrowth  without  giving  signs  of  his  presence  by 
the  snapping  of  twigs  or  the  rustle  of  parting  foliage; 

61 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

but  the  abiding  sense  of  danger  which  had  oppressed 
him  during  his  earlier  passages  across  the  island  had  bred 
in  him  a  wariness  of  movement  that  was  now  almost  as 
instinctive  as  in  the  wild  creatures  whose  lives  depended 
on  their  caution. 

Guiding  himself  by  the  sounds,  he  was  drawn  toward 
a  grove  of  trees  that  lay  about  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  western  beach.  Only  a  day  or  two  before,  he  had 
struck  his  hatchet  into  one  of  them,  and  concluded  from 
its  soft,  white,  sappy  rind  that  it  would  not  provide  fit 
timber  for  his  boat.  Yet  it  was  clearly  these  trees  upon 
which  the  unseen  woodmen  were  at  work.  He  stole  for- 
ward, and,  coming  to  a  dense  fringe  of  undergrowth 
beyond  which  the  grove  lay,  he  edged  his  way  into  the 
thicket,  and  very  stealthily  pressed  the  foliage  aside  until 
he  got  a  view  of  what  was  doing. 

The  trees  grew  somewhat  far  apart,  and  across  a  fairly 
open  space  he  saw  the  strangers  whose  unexpected  pres- 
ence was  causing  him  such  concern.  Five  men,  stripped 
to  the  waist,  were  hard  at  work  with  axes.  Four  of 
them  had  dusky  skins  of  reddish  hue;  the  fifth,  a  short, 
thick-set,  brawny  man,  the  muscles  of  whose  arms  showed 
like  great  globes,  was  clearly  a  white  man,  though  his 
hands  and  arms  were  stained  a  bright  scarlet,  quite  dif- 
ferent from  the  red  duskiness  of  southern  natives,  or  the 
red-brown  caused  by  exposure  to  sun  and  wind.  As  they 
moved,  the  five  men  clanked  the  chains  that  fettered 
their  ankles  to  stout  logs  of  wood.  A  little  apart  stood 

62 


THE  SPANISH  WHIP 

three  men  looking  on,  talking  and  laughing  together  in 
a  tongue  strange  to  Dennis.  They  were  big,  swarthy 
fellows,  with  soft,  wide-brimmed  hats,  each  decked  with 
a  feather,  brown  leather  doublets  and  hose  and  long 
boots.  Each  bore  an  harquebus  and  a  whip. 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens,  its  beams  beating 
down  through  the  trees  upon  the  unprotected  backs  of 
the  toilers.  Sweat  was  pouring  from  them.  The  trees 
were  thick,  some  at  least  two  yards  in  circumference; 
to  cut  through  them  needed  no  slight  exertion.  The 
white  laborer  paused  to  draw  his  arm  across  his  reeking 
brow.  Then  one  of  the  watchers  strolled  across  from 
the  tree  against  which  he  had  been  lolling,  and,  raising 
his  whip,  brought  the  thong  with  a  stinging  cut  across 
the  back  of  the  slave  who  had  dared  to  intermit  his 
labors.  A  red  streak  showed  livid  on  the  white  skin. 
For  a  moment  it  seemed  to  Dennis,  watching  the  scene, 
that  the  victim  was  about  to  turn  upon  his  assailant  with 
the  ax,  his  sole  weapon.  An  expression  of  deadly  rage 
writhed  the  features  of  his  red-bearded  face.  His  grip 
tightened  upon  the  ax.  But  he  controlled  his  impulse 
with  an  effort.  The  warder  laughed  brutally,  flung  a 
taunt,  and  cracked  his  whip  in  the  air  in  challenge  and 
menace.  Sullenly  the  woodman  resumed  his  task,  and 
his  persecutor,  with  another  laugh,  turned  and  rejoined 
his  companions,  applauded  by  their  grins. 

Dennis  felt  himself  stung  to  anger.  This  swarthy  ruf- 
fian, he  doubted  not,  was  a  Spaniard,  a  subject  of  King 

63 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Philip,  once  the  consort  of  an  English  queen.  It  was 
not  a  pleasant  introduction  to  the  race  dominating  the 
Americas.  Apparently  Mirandola  liked  them  no  better 
than  he,  for  at  the  first  sight  of  the  strangers  the  monkey 
had  fled.  Dennis  found  him  a  good  quarter-mile  distant 
when,  taking  advantage  of  an  interval  during  which  the 
Spaniards  ate  and  drank,  and  the  flagging  toilers  rested, 
he  strode  away  to  a  banana  grove  to  refresh  himself. 

He  watched  the  group  till  near  sundown.  Several 
trees  having  been  felled,  the  men  proceeded  to  hack  off 
the  branches  and  to  chip  away  the  white  rind.  Then  the 
strange  scarlet  color  of  their  arms  and  hands  was  ex- 
plained. The  heart  of  the  trees  was  a  brilliant  red.  As 
the  rind  was  stripped  off,  the  Spaniards  drew  near  and 
examined  the  core,  and  under  their  direction  the  laborers 
cut  and  trimmed  certain  selected  logs.  The  work  was 
still  unfinished  when  the  sun  went  down,  and  the  leader 
of  the  Spaniards  gave  the  word  for  returning  to  the 
shore.  The  logs  were  struck  off  the  slaves'  ankles  and 
replaced  by  manacles ;  then  they  set  off.  Dennis  followed 
them  at  a  safe  distance,  and  when  he  came  within  view 
of  the  sea,  there  was  a  small  vessel  riding  at  anchor 
some  little  distance  offshore,  and  the  slaves  were  in  the 
act  of  dragging  a  rowboat  through  the  white  surf.  In 
this  they  all  put  off,  and  darkness  covered  them  up  as 
they  regained  the  ship. 

Dennis  returned  to  his  hut,  joined  by  the  monkey  on 
the  way, 

64 


THE  SPANISH  WHIP 

"Here  is  food  for  thought,  Mirandola,  my  friend,"  he 
said.  "No  fire  for  us  to-night.  Are  you  acquainted  with 
don  Spaniards  and  their  ways  ?  You  kept  a  wide  berth ; 
have  you,  too,  suffered  at  their  hands  ?  Who  is  the  poor 
wretch  the  ruffian  lashed?  By  his  looks  he  would  pass 
for  an  Englishman:  I  hope  he  is  not  of  English  breed. 
Yet  I  hope  he  is:  what  do  you  make  of  that,  Mirandola? 
I  protest  I  love  your  wise  and  friendly  countenance ;  but 
there  is  something  warming  to  the  heart  in  the  sight  of 
one  of  my  own  kind,  if  such  he  be.  We  must  be  up 
betimes,  my  friend;  maybe  the  morrow  will  give  us 
assurance." 

Thinking  over  the  incident  before  he  slept,  Dennis 
wondered  why  the  party  had  returned  to  the  ship.  If 
the  purpose  of  their  visit  was  to  obtain  any  quantity  of 
this  strange  red  wood,  doubtless  they  had  several" days' 
work  before  them ;  why  had  they  not  camped  on  shore  ? 
Perhaps  they  felt  that  the  slaves  were  safer  on  board; 
perhaps,  too,  they  did  not  care  to  weaken  the  ship's  com- 
pany during  the  hours  of  night.  It  was  a  small  vessel; 
probably  there  was  not  a  large  number  of  Spaniards 
aboard;  but  doubtless  they  were  all  armed  like  the  three 
who  had  come  ashore,  and  their  slaves,  being  fettered, 
would  need  few  to  control  them.  Dennis  hoped  that  when 
they  returned  next  day  they  would  not  make  too  thorough 
a  search  for  similar  groves  elsewhere  in  the  island;  for 
if  they  should  discover  his  hut,  he  had  little  doubt  they 
would  seek  to  impress  him  into  the  hapless  gang. 

65 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

His  sleep  was  restless.  Many  times  he  woke  with  a 
start  and  sprang  up  trembling,  feeling  that  the  Spaniards 
were  on  his  track.  At  daybreak  he  was  on  his  way 
toward  the  west  shore,  and  took  up  his  position  in  the 
same  thicket,  the  leafy  screen  being  almost  impenetrable. 
The  monkey  was  with  him  now ;  but  when  his  ears  caught 
first  the  measured  thud  of  oars,  then  the  clank  of  chains 
drawing  nearer,  Mirandola  chattered  angrily,  sprang  into 
a  tree,  and  disappeared. 

The  party  came  into  view — five  slaves,  three  Spaniards. 
The  former  were,  to  all  appearance,  the  same  as  those 
Dennis  had  seen  on  the  previous  day;  but  it  seemed  to 
him  that  their  armed  guards  were  different;  probably 
the  men  of  the  ship  took  it  in  turns  to  come  ashore.  But 
if  the  individuals  were  different,  their  methods  were 
much  the  same.  Indeed,  before  Dennis  had  been  watch- 
ing the  work  many  minutes,  he  had  reason  to  know  that 
the  warders  of  to-day  were  even  more  ingeniously  brutal 
than  those  of  yesterday.  The  first  thing  he  noticed  was 
a  change  in  their  manner  of  rendering  their  slaves  harm- 
less. One  of  them  carried  a  large  wooden  mallet;  the 
others  had  between  them  iron  staples  with  sharp-pointed 
ends.  These  staples  they  drove  one  by  one  with  the 
mallet  into  the  boles  of  the  five  trees  selected  for  the 
day's  operations.  Secured  to  each  staple  was  one  end 
of  a  long  chain,  the  other  end  of  which  was  fastened  to 
the  captive's  ankle-band.  Thus  the  hapless  woodmen 
were  fettered  not  merely  by  the  logs  of  wood,  as  on  the 

66 


THE  SPANISH  WHIP 

previous  day,  but  by  chains  that  bound  them  to  the  very 
trees  they  were  to  cut  down.  The  staples  were  driven 
into  the  trunks  below  the  line  of  the  cleft  to  be  made; 
but  the  chains,  though  long,  seemed  to  Dennis  scarcely 
long  enough  to  enable  the  men  to  escape  crushing,  should 
the  trees  happen  to  fall  the  wrong  way.  That  was  a 
chance  which  evidently  did  not  trouble  the  guards. 

Dennis  wondered  why  this  additional  precaution  had 
been  taken  to  insure  the  safe  custody  of  the  wretched 
men.  Had  they  shown  signs  of  mutiny?  It  would  not 
be  surprising  after  the  treatment  of  the  previous  day. 
Certainly  the  ingenious  device  lightened  the  task  of  sur- 
veillance, for  the  wood-cutters,  however  exasperated, 
could  not  turn  upon  their  guards  until  they  had  forced 
out  the  staples  with  their  axes. 

The  three  Spaniards  threw  themselves  down  at  some 
distance  from  the  slaves  and  lolled  negligently  against 
the  trees.  The  wood-cutters  plied  their  axes  sturdily, 
monotonously,  never  speaking,  their  faces  expressing 
nothing  but  a  sullen  despair.  Dennis  fixed  his  eyes  on 
the  white  man,  and  felt  an  eager  longing  to  hear  him 
speak.  One  word  would  be  enough  to  show  whether  he 
was  indeed  an  Englishman.  But  the  man  was  as  silent 
as  the  rest,  and  nothing  was  heard  save  the  ring  of  the 
axes  and  the  voices  of  the  Spaniards  conversing. 

Five  trees  lay  upon  the  ground;  the  warders  rose  to 
drive  the  staples  into  others.  It  appeared  that  time  was 
hanging  heavy  on  their  hands.  Some  demon  of  mischief 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

suggested  to  one  of  them  a  means  of  obtaining  a  little 
diversion.  His  proposal  was  received  with  shouts  of 
laughter  by  his  companions.  Dennis  did  not  understand 
what  was  said,  but  the  meaning  was  soon  made  plain. 
The  three  men  drew  lots  with  three  twigs  of  unequal 
length,  and  placed  themselves  by  the  side  of  the  three 
slaves— the  white  man  and  two  Indians — as  fate  deter- 
mined. Again  they  drew  lots,  and  proceeded  to  fasten 
their  men  to  three  new  trees.  The  other  two  Indians 
were  set  to  strip  the  trunks  already  felled.  It  was  soon 
evident  that  the  Spaniards'  amusement  was  to  be  had  at 
the  expense  of  the  wood-cutters.  They  pooled  a  number 
of  pieces-of-eight ;  the  Spaniard  whose  man  first  felled 
his  tree  was  to  take  the  stakes. 

The  three  men  set  to  work,  the  warders  standing  over 
them  with  their  whips.  The  faces  of  the  Indians  wore 
their  wonted  look  of  dull  apathy;  but  Dennis  saw  the 
lips  of  the  white  man  tighten,  and  a  grim  scowl  darken 
his  brow.  The  sport  commenced.  Excited  by  their 
gamble,  the  Spaniards  urged  on  their  men  with  loud 
cries.  For  some  minutes  the  two  Indians  smote  the 
trees  with  feverish  energy;  the  white  man  plied  his  ax 
with  measured  strokes,  neither  slower  nor  faster  than 
before.  The  warders  became  more  and  more  excited, 
and  from  cries  proceeded  to  blows.  One  of  the  Indians 
flagged,  and  to  stimulate  him  the  Spaniard  behind  dealt 
him  a  savage  blow  with  his  whip,  and  the  poor,  cowed 
wretch  laid  on  with  greater  vigor.  Hidden  in  the  bush, 

68 


THE  SPANISH  WHIP 

Dennis  nervously  clutched  his  sword  and  felt  the  blood 
surge  into  his  cheeks.  Fine  sport,  indeed!  The  other 
Spaniards,  not  to  be  outdone,  began  to  belabor  the  backs 
of  their  men  also,  and  Dennis,  seeing  great  weals  rise 
on  the  bare  flesh,  could  scarcely  control  the  impulse  to 
dash  at  all  costs  from  his  hiding-place  to  the  aid  of  the 
suffering  men.  He  saw  the  face  of  the  white  man  pale 
beneath  the  sun-tan  and  the  red  stains;  perchance  the 
Spaniard  would  have  had  a  qualm  if  he  had  seen  the  fury 
his  features  expressed.  But  he  did  not  see  it;  with  cal- 
lous levity  he  shouted  and  brought  his  whip  down  with 
a  sickening  crack  upon  the  broad,  red-streaked  back. 

Then,  with  a  suddenness  that  took  Dennis'  breath 
away,  the  white  man's  pent-up  rage  burst  its  bounds. 
At  the  end  of  his  endurance,  he  swung  round  with  a 
nimbleness  surprising  in  a  man  of  his  bulk,  and  flung 
his  ax  with  unerring  aim  at  his  tormentor.  The  man 
fell  among  the  logs.  In  a  second,  before  the  other  Span- 
iards had  time  to  recover  from  the  shock  of  this  un- 
heard-of audacity,  one  of  the  Indians  at  work  on  the 
fallen  tree  hurled  his  weapon  at  the  warder  nearest  him, 
and  struck  him  headlong  to  the  ground.  The  third  man 
had  sufficient  command  of  his  wits  to  take  to  his  heels 
and  scamper  away. 

The  wood-cutters  were  between  him  and  the  shore, 
and  the  direction  of  his  flight  was  toward  the  thicket  in 
which  Dennis  stood,  all  tingling  with  the  excitement  of 
this  amazing  change  of  scene.  He  gripped  his  sword; 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

but  the  Spaniard  stopped  short  within  a  few  yards  of 
the  bushes,  uttered  a  furious  oath,  and,  turning  about, 
kindled  his  match,  preparing  to  shoot  at  the  slaves,  who 
were  hacking  with  frenzied  haste  at  the  staples  that  held 
them  to  the  trees.  The  two  Indians  who  were  free  were 
hobbling  toward  the  woodland  on  the  other  side,  appalled 
by  their  own  temerity.  Dennis  heard  the  Spaniard 
chuckle  as  he  raised  his  harquebus.  The  man  knew  full 
well  that,  even  if  the  woodmen  succeeded  in  breaking 
loose,  he  would  have  time  to  shoot  them  down  one  by 
one,  hobbled  as  they  were. 

Dennis  could  no  longer  remain  inactive.  An  enemy 
of  the  Spaniards,  whatever  his  color,  was  a  friend  of  his. 
He  could  not  see  the  poor  wretches  slaughtered.  For 
an  instant  he  thought  of  kindling  his  own  match  and 
firing  at  the  Spaniard,  who  was  within  easy  range.  Then, 
changing  his  mind,  he  pushed  aside  the  bushes,  sprang 
into  the  open,  and  leaped  over  the  ground  with  the  light- 
ness of  a  panther.  The  Spaniard  heard  his  movements 
and  swung  round ;  Dennis  saw  the  startled  look  of  terror 
in  his  eyes.  Taken  aback,  he  had  no  time  to  ward  off 
the  musket  stock  of  this  assailant  who  had  sprung,  as 
it  were,  out  of  the  earth.  His  cry  of  alarm  was  stifled 
in  his  throat,  and  under  the  blow  dealt  him  with  all  the 
force  of  honest  rage  he  dropped  senseless  to  the  ground. 


CHAPTER   VII 

AMOS   TURNPENNY 

Dennis  felt  his  limbs  tremble  as  he  stepped  round  the 
fallen  body  and  went  forward.  The  white  man  and  the 
biggest  of  the  Indians  had  already  released  themselves, 
and  stood  as  though  rooted  to  the  ground  with  amaze- 
ment. 

"I  am  a  friend,"  cried  Dennis,  while  still  separated  by 
some  yards  from  them. 

"My  heart,  that's  a  true  word,"  gasped  the  white  man, 
and  Dennis  thrilled  with  joy  as  he  heard  the  broad  accent 
of  a  south-countryman.  "A  friend,  true;  and  a  blessed 
word  to  Haymoss  Turnpenny's  ears." 

They  gripped  hands,  and  looked  each  other  squarely 
in  the  face.  There  was  a  lump  in  Dennis'  throat,  and  a 
mist  of  tears  in  the  elder  man's  eyes.  Then  Turnpenny 
looked  over  his  shoulder  with  a  sudden  access  of  fear. 

"We  bean't  safe,"  he  muttered,  and  there  was  a  world 
of  terror  in  his  gesture  and  tone.  "They'll  find  us,  and 
then  'twill  be  hell-fire.  Can  'ee  hide  us?" 

"Let  us  first  release  that  black  man." 

"Ay,  sure;  fellow-creature,  although  black.  I'll  do  it, 
in  a  trice." 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

He  walked  toward  the  trees  where  the  last  man  was 
still  struggling  to  force  out  the  staple.  At  this  moment 
Dennis  saw  one  of  the  others  springing  past  him  with 
uplifted  ax,  the  fire  of  fury  in  his  eyes.  Turning,  he 
noticed  that  the  Spaniard  he  had  felled  was  moving.  He 
had  but  just  time  to  dash  after  the  man  and  prevent  him 
from  butchering  his  prostrate  enemy.  The  Indian  drew 
back  in  surprise,  and  Dennis  stood  on  guard  until  the 
Englishman  joined  him. 

"Bean't  he  killed  dead?  Why  didn't  'ee  kill  him,  lad? 
T'others  be  dead  as  door-nails,  and  won't  trouble  you 
nor  me  no  more." 

"We'll  let  this  fellow  live;  he  may  be  useful  to  us." 

"Why  didn't  'ee  kill  him  with  your  sword  or  musket? 
He's  vermin,  as  they  be  all." 

"Well,  his  back  was  toward  me,"  said  Dennis.  "Be- 
sides, a  shot  would  have  alarmed  his  comrades  on  the 
ship." 

"The  ship !"  repeated  the  man,  looking  round  again 
with  fear  in  his  eyes.  "The  ship  ?  They'll  find  us !  We 
are  rats  in  a  trap!  Lord  save  us  all!" 

"Come,  we  must  think  of  something.  Can  you  speak 
to  these  men?" 

"Ay,  in  some  sort.  Not  in  their  own  tongue — 'tis 
monkey  talk  to  me.  Ah!  look  at  'em,  poor  knaves." 

The  Indians  had  fallen  upon  the  provisions  brought 
by  the  Spaniards  for  their  own  consumption,  and  were 
devouring  them  ravenously.  Turnpenny  called  to  them, 

72 


AMOS  TURNPENNY 

in  a  husky  whisper,  as  though  fearful  of  his  own  voice 
reaching  the  ears  of  an  enemy.  Then,  taking  the  dazed 
Spaniard  with  them,  the  wood-cutters,  hobbled  by  the 
logs,  made  off  across  the  island,  led  by  Dennis  to  the 
watercourse,  at  the  farther  end  of  which  his  hut  stood. 
Within  half  a  mile  of  that  spot  he  halted,  and  got  the 
Englishman  to  tell  the  others  to  remain  there  until  re- 
joined. With  Turnpenny  he  hastened  on. 

"God  be  praised,  I  was  able  to  help  you!"  he  said. 

"Ay,  but  I  fear  me  'tis  your  own  undoing.  They  will 
come  ashore,  and  catch  'ee,  and  flay  'ee  alive." 

"Tell  me  how  many  men  are  left  on  the  bark,"  said 
Dennis  earnestly. 

"Ten,  lad,  all  armed  to  the  teeth.  Sure,  they  will  land 
when  we  don't  go  aboard  at  night.  They  will  hunt  us 
down.  This  time  to-morrow  we'll  be  dead  men,  or  worse 
than  dead." 

"Pluck  up  heart,"  said  Dennis.  "There  are  six  of  us ; 
I  have  arms  for  all;  we  can  post  ourselves  at  a  place  of 
our  own  choice  and  make  a  good  defense,  I  warrant  you." 

"My  heart!  But  what  will  be  the  use?  Say  we  beat 
'em  off,  'twill  be  like  as  if  we  tried  to  stem  the  waves. 
With  a  fair  breeze  the  mainland  is  but  a  day's  sail,  and 
there  the  Spaniards  swarm  like  cockroaches  in  a  hold. 
I  tell  'ee,  lad,  whoever  ye  be,  we  be  dead  men!" 

"I've  been  nearer  death,"  said  Dennis  quietly.  "Look ! 
There  is  my  hut.  I  was  cast  up  on  this  shore  from  a 
wreck ;  I  have  been  here  several  weeks,  months — I  know 

73 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

not;  it  has  pleased  God  to  keep  me  alive  here,  alone  on 
this  island,  and  I  believe  there  is  hope  for  us  all." 

"Amen !  My  heart !  There's  a  sheer  hulk  in  the  pool 
yonder." 

"Ay,  all  that's  left  of  the  Maid  Marian.  But  I  will 
tell  you  my  story  anon.  Come  away  into  the  hut,  and 
let  us  talk  of  what  we  can  do  to  save  ourselves  from  the 
Spaniards." 

As  they  entered  the  hut,  the  Englishman  drew  back 
with  a  startled  cry.  Perched  on  a  cask  sat  Mirandola. 
He  chattered  angrily  at  the  sight  of  a  stranger. 

"My  one  friend  on  the  island,  and  a  faithful  comrade," 
said  Dennis.  "A  gentle  soul;  he  will  do  you  no  harm." 

"A  friend,  say  you?  'Tis  against  nature  to  be  friends 
with  a  spider-monkey.  And  I  be  fair  'mazed ;  it  do  seem 
all  a  dream — only  in  the  offing  yonder  there  be  a  real 
ship,  and,  say  what  'ee  will,  I  be  afeard." 

"We'll  first  file  off  these  clogging  hobbles.  And  what 
say  you  to  a  mug  of  beer?  It  has  come  far;  I  have  not 
broached  the  cask,  and  maybe  'tis  still  drinkable." 

"My  heart!  I  never  thought  to  taste  beer  or  cider 
again.  'Twill  comfort  my  nattlens,  sure,  and  I  was  once 
a  good  man  at  a  tankard." 

The  fetters  were  soon  struck  off;  a  mug  of  beer  was 
drawn,  and  drained  at  a  gulp;  but  Turnpenny  was  still 
ill  at  ease.  He  went  to  the  entrance  of  the  hut  and  looked 
nervously  up  and  down  the  gully,  listening  with  head 
cocked  aside.  Dennis  could  not  guess  at  the  terrible 

74 


AMOS  TURNPENNY 

past  which  had  made  this  stout  English  mariner  as  timid 
as  a  child. 

"Let  us  get  to  the  black  men,"  he  said,  knowing 
from  his  own  experience  the  value  of  action  in  banishing 
sad  thoughts.  "Are  they  Indians  of  America?" 

"Maroons,  sir,  half-Injun,  half-negro;  lusty  fighters, 
and  faithful  souls  when  they  do  love  'ee." 

"We'll  knock  off  their  chains  and  give  them  arms. 
What  can  they  use?" 

"Not  muskets,  nor  harquebuses,  but  anything  that  will 
dint  a  blow." 

"Half-pikes  and  swords,  then.  For  yourself,  take 
your  pick." 

"Ay,  it  do  give  me  heart  to  handle  a  cutlass  again. 
Here's  a  fine  blade,  now,  and  a  musket — give  me  a  har- 
quebus ;  I  could  shoot  once,  but  my  arm  is  all  of  a  wamble 
now.  Look  and  see!" 

He  raised  the  heavy  weapon  to  his  shoulder  and  tried 
to  steady  it. 

"See!  Shaking  like  a  man  with  the  palsy,"  he  said, 
his  nervousness  returning.  "I  be  no  more  good  than  a 
bulrush." 

"Pish,  man!"  said  Dennis  cheerily.  "You  are  over- 
wrought; your  arm  is  tired  with  wielding  the  ax.  An 
hour's  rest  will  set  you  up.  Come,  bring  the  file  and  the 
weapons ;  we  must  see  that  the  others  are  not  scared  in 
our  absence." 

The  four  maroons  had  remained  on  the  spot  where 

75 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

they  had  been  left,  keeping  guard  over  the  Spaniard, 
who  had  now  quite  recovered  from  his  blow.  They  eyed 
Dennis  with  a  wide  stare,  and  fell  silent  when  he  ap- 
proached, seeming  scarcely  to  comprehend  the  wonderful 
fortune  that  had  befallen  them.  The  removal  of  their 
fetters  and  the  gift  of  arms  struck  them  as  a  crowning 
mercy;  they  groveled  upon  the  ground  as  in  the  act  of 
worship. 

"They  take  'ee  for  a  magician,  sir,"  said  Turnpenny. 
'  'Tis  marvelous  to  their  simple,  poor  minds.  All  the 
world  be  full  of  spirits  to  them;  a  storm  at  sea  be  the 
stirring  of  witches,  and  the  Spaniards  be  devils.  My 
heart!"  he  exclaimed  suddenly,  "the  fear  has  took  me 
again!  When  they  do  miss  the  sound  of  the  axes  they 
will  jealous  summat's  wrong,  and  then  they'll  come  and 
we'll  be  all  dead  men." 

"Cheer  up !"  said  Dennis.  "  'Tis  easy  to  cure  that. 
Two  of  the  men  can  set  to  upon  the  trees  again,  and  one 
can  steal  to  the  shore  and  keep  an  eye  on  the  ship,  and 
acquaint  us  if  he  sees  any  stirring  there." 

"But  what  of  the  Spaniard,  lad?  'Tis  then  only  one 
maroon  to  watch  him,  and  'tis  not  enough.  If  so  be  the 
knave  be  left  to  himself,  he'll  run  to  the  beach  and  give 
the  alarm." 

"We'll  stop  that,  too.  When  he  has  had  a  portion  of 
food,  we  will  gag  and  bind  him,  and  all  will  be  well." 

When  the  Spaniard  was  secured,  the  whole  party  re- 
turned to  the  scene  of  the  tree-felling,  and  while  one  of 

76 


AMOS  TURNPENNY 

the  men  went  stealthily  forward  to  spy  upon  the  ship, 
two  others  plied  their  axes  upon  the  fallen  trunks. 

Dennis,  more  alert  of  mind  than  the  sailor,  foresaw 
that  the  trick  could  have  only  a  temporary  success.  When 
the  time  came  for  the  wood-cutting  party  to  return  to  the 
vessel,  their  non-appearance  would  awaken  suspicion 
among  the  Spaniards  on  board.  Believing  the  island  to 
be  uninhabited,  they  would  not  guess  what  had  hap- 
pened; it  would  not  even  occur  to  them  as  possible  that 
cowed  and  unarmed  slaves  would  have  courage  enough 
to  turn  on  their  masters,  much  less  overcome  them.  But 
if  the  party  did  not  return  at  nightfall,  the  captain  would 
certainly  send  some  of  his  men  to  discover  the  cause. 
Of  all  men  the  Spaniards  were  the  most  superstitious; 
when  they  landed,  their  very  superstitions  would  put 
them  on  their  guard.  Their  approach  would  be  cautious ; 
they  would  probably  discover  the  escaped  slaves  before 
these  could  strike  at  them  effectively;  and  then,  when 
the  inevitable  fight  came,  the  party  of  six,  of  whom  only 
two  could  use  firearms,  and  one  had  practically  lost  his 
nerve,  would  stand  a  poor  chance  against  men  armed 
cap-a-pie  and  doubtless  inured  to  the  practice  of  war- 
fare. Besides,  even  if  the  landing  party  could  be  taken 
by  surprise  and  routed,  the  sound  of  the  combat  would 
alarm  the  Spaniards  still  remaining  on  the  ship.  They 
would  sail  away,  and  in  few  days  return  in  overwhelm- 
ing strength. 

Dennis  was  at  first  staggered  by  the  difficulties  and 

77 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

perils  of  the  situation,  and  he  dared  not  consult  with 
Turnpenny  until  the  sailor  had  regained  his  courage. 
For  the  present  the  important  thing  was  to  keep  him 
employed,  so  as-to  turn  his  thoughts  from  anything  that 
would  feed  his  fears. 

"We  must  bury  these  two  knaves,"  Dennis  said,  glanc- 
ing at  the  bodies  of  the  Spaniards.  "You  and  I  can  do 
that.  Your  name,  I  bethink  me,  is — " 

"Turnpenny,  by  nature,  Haymoss  by  the  water  o'  bap- 
tism, sir." 

"Haymoss  ?" 

"Ay,  sure,  a  religious  good  name,  sir;  a'  comes  be- 
twixt Joel  and  Obydiah  somewheres  after  the  holy 
Psa'ms.  Born  at  Chard,  sir,  in  Zummerzet,  but  voyaged 
to  Plimworth  when  that  I  was  a  little,  tiny  boy,  and 
served  'prentice  aboard  the  Seamew — master  John  Pen- 
worthy." 

Dennis  had  heard  only  the  first  sentence  of  this  string 
of  facts.  He  was  in  the  very  act  of  stooping  to  dig  a 
grave  with  one  of  the  maroons'  big  axes,  when  there 
flashed  into  his  mind  an  idea  which  set  him  aglow  with 
hope. 

"Well,  friend  Amos,"  he  said,  so  quietly  that  none 
could  have  suspected  his  inward  eagerness,  "think  you 
not  we  may  strip  the  outer  garments  from  these  knaves 
before  we  bury  them?  Your  back  would  be  the  better  for 
a  covering,  and  this  leather  doublet  would  well  beseem 
you." 

78 


AMOS  TURNPENNY 

"True,  sir,  but  I  never  donned  a  stranger's  coat  yet. 
I  be  English  true  blue,  and  though  the  Spaniard's  doublet 
might  span  my  back,  'twould  rile  my  feeling  mind,  sir." 

"To  please  me,  Amos.  I  would  fain  you  covered  your 
arms — the  red  is  too  like  blood,  and  we  may  see  enough 
of  that  ere  we  be  many  hours  older." 

To  Dennis'  gratification,  the  sailor  did  not  again  blanch 
at  the  suggestion  of  a  fight  with  the  Spaniards.  He 
laughed. 

"My  heart !  'Tis  easy  to  see  you  be  a  new  man  in  this 
New  World,  sir.  The  stains  of  logwood  don't  worrit 
me ;  'tis  a  noble  dye,  you  must  own,  and  many's  the  noble 
garment  that  has  been  dyed  for  a  Spaniard's  madam  out 
o'  the  logwood  I've  cut.  But  since  it  offends  your  innocent 
eye,  I'll  e'en  don  the  knave's  coat  afore  I  put  him  out  o' 
sight  in  earth  too  good  for  him." 

Overjoyed  at  the  man's  recovered  spirits,  Dennis  has- 
tened, as  they  went  on  with  their  task,  to  press  his 
advantage. 

"You  are  two  enemies  the  less,  Amos — nay,  three, 
counting  the  knave  we  have  in  pound  among  the  trees 
yonder.  What  say  you  to  our  making  a  shift  to  put  a 
few  more  in  the  same  case?" 

"What  mean  you,  sir?" 

"Tell  me,  what  people  hath  the  ship  yonder,  besides 
the  ten  Spanish  knaves  of  whom  you  spoke?" 

"Why,  sir,  as  a  true  man  I  answer,  a  black  cook — no 
maroon,  but  a  swart,  fat  knave  from  the  Guinea  coast ; 

79 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

and  three  maroons,  who  fell  sick,  or  rather  were  well- 
nigh  beat  to  death  on  an  island  over  against  the  continent 
yonder  we  visited  on  the  same  errand." 

"And  they  are  gyved,  as  you  were?" 

"All  but  the  cook.  He  goes  free,  but  my  heart!  'tis 
little  he  gains  by  it.  He  is  every  man's  football  and 
whipping-post." 

"Why,  then,  do  the  Spaniards  remain  aboard  the  ship, 
when  there  are  so  few  slaves  to  guard?" 

"  'Tis  first  because  they  be  idle  knaves,  who  would 
never  do  a  hand's  turn  save  by  necessity.  Item,  because 
they  be  but  poor  seamen,  and  need  a  dozen  to  handle  a 
craft,  only  forty  ton  burden,  that  three  true-born  Eng- 
lishmen could  sail  into  the  devil's  jaws.  Item,  because 
the  spot  where  she  lies  at  anchor  is  ill-protected;  'tis 
rather  an  open  roadstead  than  a  bay,  and  if  a  squall 
should  come  up  sudden,  as  'tis  nature  in  this  meridian, 
they'd  need  all  the  lubbers'  work  to  get  a  fair  offing." 

"So  three  true-born  Englishmen  are  a  match  for  a 
dozen  base  cullies  of  Spain?  Is  that  your  thought, 
Amos?" 

"Ay,  at  musket,  pike,  or  quarter-staff;  there's  never 
a  doubt  on  it." 

"Think  you  two,  then,  are  a  match  for  ten?  The 
balance  turns  a  little  in  favor  of  the  Spaniards;  by  right 
proportion  it  should  be  two  to  eight;  but  mayhap  four 
maroons  on  t'other  scale  would  even  the  odds." 

Turnpenny  desisted  from  his  work  and  a  shadow  of 

So 


his  former  fear  came  upon  his  face.  Dennis  profited  by 
experience  and  did  not  allow  time  for  the  fit  to  lay 
hold  on  him. 

"There  is  an  advantage  to  him  who  strikes  first,"  he 
went  on  quietly.  "If  we  wait,  assuredly  we  shall  have 
to  fight  against  heavy  odds.  But  if  we  assume  a  bold 
part,  and  jump  the  risks,  we  may  gain  all  the  vantage  of 
surprise,  and  enforce  it  with  that  English  blood  you 
hold  so  high  in  estimation,  to  say  naught  of  English 
thews  and  sinews.  Why,  man,  that  stout  arm  of  yours 
would  fell  an  ox." 

"True,  sir,"  said  the  simple  mariner,  bending  his  arm 
to  raise  the  muscle,  and  looking  at  the  knotty  protuber- 
ance with  great  complacency ;  "I  ha'  done  desperate  deeds 
of  strength  in  my  time.  But,  heart  alive!  do  'ee  think 
to  capture  the  ship?" 

"I  think  of  venturing  for  it ;  and,  unless  I  be  mightily 
mistaken,  Amos  Turnpenny  is  not  the  man  to  turn  his 
back  on  a  venture  of  that  kind." 

"Not  by  nature,  sir,"  said  the  man,  uneasiness  strug- 
gling with  simple  vanity  in  his  mind.  "By  nature  I  be 
as  bold  as  a  lion.  But  the  lion  in  the  story  was  meshed 
in  with  ropes,  and  could  do  no  harm  to  a  silly  mouse; 
and  for  years  past,  sir,  the  ropes  of  mischance  have 
held  my  spirit  in  thrall,  wherefore  it  is  that — " 

"That  you  are  afraid?  Nonsense!  You  are  the  lion; 
I  am  the  mouse.  Let  us  say  that  I  by  good  luck  have 
gnawed  those  confining  ropes  asunder,  and  now,  on  this 

81 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

island,  you  are  free  of  mind  as  of  limb,  and  a  man  of 
heart  and  vigor." 

Turnpenny  flung  down  his  ax  and  fairly  jumped. 

"My  heart !"  he  cried  gleefully,  "  'tis  the  very  marrow 
of  the  tale !  I  be  free,  free !  For  ten  years  I  have  forgot 
the  word.  Sound  of  limb,  straight  of  eye,  with  all  my 
five  wits,  praise  God  above !  Speak  your  thoughts,  sir ; 
Amos  Turnpenny  is  your  man." 


CHAPTER   VIII 

HALF-PIKES    AND    MACHETES 

The  Spaniards  had  by  this  time  been  buried.  The  two 
maroons  were  still  hacking  at  the  trees.  Nothing  had 
been  reported  by  the  man  on  the  lookout.  Glancing  at 
the  sun,  Dennis  guessed  that  it  was  still  two  or  three 
hours  from  setting.  But  for  interruptions  there  would 
be  ample  time  to  develop  his  plan. 

"Come  beneath  the  shade,"  he  said  to  Turnpenny. 
"There  is  much  to  be  said  and  done.  If  perchance  a  man 
lands  from  the  ship,  we  must  take  him  prisoner.  If 
several  come,  we  must  fight  them  at  the  gully.  If  they 
lie  secure,  and  we  are  undisturbed,  we  shall  capture 
their  vessel  this  night." 

"I  believe  it,  sir,  partly;  I'd  believe  it  more  firmly  if 
I  understood." 

"Give  me  your  judgment  on  my  plan.  At  sunset  we 
will  haul  some  logs  down  to  the  shore  and  push  off  in 
the  boat,  as  if  we  were  the  Spaniards  with  their  slaves. 
You  and  I  will  rig  ourselves  in  the  doublets  and  hose  of 
the  two  yonder;  it  will  go  hard  with  us  if,  in  the  dark, 
we  do  not  mislead  the  Spaniards  into  security.  We  will 
mount  into  the  vessel  and,  if  luck  favor  us,  we  shall  be 

83 


masters  of  the  craft  before  the  Spaniards  have  awakened 
to  the  danger." 

"A  noble  plan,  but  fearsome,"  said  Turnpenny,  shak- 
ing his  head.  "We  shall  be  two  short,  sir.  We  rig  up 
as  Spaniards,  you  and  me;  granted;  but  the  knaves  on 
deck  will  see  two  Spaniards  instead  of  three,  and  they 
will  want  to  know  what  has  become  of  Haymoss  Turn- 
penny." 

"We  will  take  our  prisoner.  Then  they  will  see  three 
Spaniards,  and  if  they  then  miss  Amos  Turnpenny,  let 
them  suppose  that  the  sailor  man  has  turned  troublesome, 
and  been  left  on  the  island,  to  bring  him  to  a  reasonable 
humility." 

"Ay,  sure,  that  unties  the  knot.  But  I  would  not  give 
a  groat  for  my  chance  of  seeing  Plimworth  Sound  again 
if  the  knaves  spy  the  head  of  Haymoss  sticking  out  o' 
the  Spanish  doublet.  The  captain,  he  be  a  man  of  des- 
perate fight;  no  miserable  dumbledore  is  he;  'tis  a  word 
and  a  blow  with  him;  I've  seed  him  kill  a  man  of  his 
own  breed  for  no  more  than  a  wry  word." 

"We  must  trust  to  our  disguise  and  the  dark." 

"But  the  maroons,  sir;  they'll  be  of  no  use  'thout 
weapons,  and  if  they  climb  aboard  with  naked  steel  in 
their  hands,  'tis  all  over  with  us." 

"You  and  I  will  mount  first." 

"That  would  put  the  knaves  on  guard  at  once.  'Tis 
always  us  poor  slaves  that  come  over  side  last  into  the 
boat  and  go  first  out  of  it,  so  as  never  to  give  us  no 

84 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

chance  of  making  off.  They  need  not  be  afeard ;  whither 
could  poor,  miserable  wretches  escape  away?  But  there 
it  is." 

"Well,  Amos,  we  must  accept  the  wonted  course, 
though  I  would  fain  go  first,  with  you  at  my  elbow." 

"It  is  my  very  own  thought,  sir.  No  white  man  can 
trust  a  black  un  in  the  deadly  breach.  But  be  j owned 
if  I  see  any  ways  o'  they  maroons  getting  aboard  with 
arms  in  their  hands." 

"Nor  I.  Mayhap  an  idea  will  enter  our  conceits, 
anon." 

"My  heart!  There  be  another  thing  I  had  clean  for- 
got. We  have  ta'en  their  irons  off." 

"We  must  put  them  on  again.  We  will  not  fail  for 
the  sake  of  a  clank." 

"Ay,  but  there's  the  rub,  sir.  The  maroons  will  show 
fight  if  we  attempt  that  same.  Poor  souls!  Having 
no  language  and  no  intellecks  to  speak  of,  they'll  not 
understand  the  main  of  our  intent.  They  will  suppose 
'tis  but  a  change  of  masters,  and  I  fear  me  my  few  words 
o'  Spanish  will  not  suffice  to  set  their  minds  at  ease." 

"You  made  them  understand  you  a  while  ago;  you 
must  try  again.  But  a  word  more.  I  judge  the  sun  has 
grown  far  on  the  west;  'twill  soon  be  time  to  put  our 
fortunes  to  the  hazard.  And,  lest  our  dallying  here 
waken  the  suspicions  of  the  Spaniards,  let  us  don  these 
articles  of  apparel  e'en  now,  and  fix  on  the  irons,  and 
then  go  down  to  the  shore,  the  maroons  hauling  the 

85 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

stripped  logs  thitherwards.  The  ropes  and  tackle  are 
handy  here." 

"What,  sir — haul  logs  in  the  very  sight  of  the  knaves  ?" 

"Ay,  do  we  not  wish  to  deceive  them  ?  If  they  see  two 
Spaniards  marshaling  the  black  men,  cracking  their 
whips,  moreover,  will  they  not  believe  'tis  their  comrades, 
bent  on  finishing  the  work  this  night?  'Tis  growing 
toward  dusk ;  the  vessel  lies  out  too  far  for  them  to  mark 
our  lineaments ;  'twill  lull  .them  into  a  fool's  security." 

"And  so  it  will.  I  will  presently  go  speak  to  the 
maroons  with  my  tongue,  and  seeing  that  the  poor  mor- 
tals lack  understanding,  with  my  fingers  and  my  eyes 
and  my  ten  toes  if  the  case  do  require  it." 

Dennis  watched  the  sailor  somewhat  anxiously.  It 
would  be  a  stroke  of  rank  ill-fortune  if  they  refused  to 
have  their  manacles  replaced.  Everything  depended  on 
their  docility.  To  his  joy,  after  some  minutes  of  gesticu- 
lation, Turnpenny  came  back,  his  broad  face  beaming 
with  conscious  self-esteem. 

"Be  jowned  if  I  haven't  done  it  easy!"  he  said.  "I 
spoke  'em  plain,  and  to  make  all  clear,  I  put  my  two 
hands  together,  with  one  finger  pointing  aloft ;  that  stood 
for  yonder  vessel.  Then  I  pointed  to  this  doublet,  and  to 
yours,  and  set  my  face  to  a  most  wondrous  frown,  by 
the  which  they  understood  that  you  and  me  pass  for 
Spaniards.  A  firk  with  my  cutlass  did  signify  our  war- 
like intent,  a  thrust  of  my  arms  forth  and  back  pictured 
fine  the  sweep  of  oars;  and,  to  make  an  end  o't,  they 

86 


HALF-PIKES   AND   MACHETES 

understood  our  fixed  purpose  and  are  keen  set  to  lend 
us  their  aid." 

"Admirably  contrived!"  said  Dennis.  "Now,  while  I 
bring  the  Spaniard  to  bear  us  company,  do  you  replace 
the  irons  and  fasten  ropes  about  the  logs.  Darkness  will 
steal  upon  us  unawares  and  prevent  the  first  part  of  our 
contriving." 

As  Dennis  returned  to  the  gully  to  fetch  the  Spaniard, 
he  saw  that  Mirandola  was  keeping  pace  with  him 
through  the  trees.  Since  the  event  of  the  morning  the 
monkey  had  held  himself  aloof,  as  if  scared  by  the  pres- 
ence of  so  many  strange  men.  Dennis  halted  and  called 
to  him,  but  the  animal  blinked  and  made  no  movement 
to  descend. 

"Ah,  Mirandola,"  said  Dennis  as  he  walked  on,  "even 
the  wisest  of  us  have  our  failings.  Jealousy,  my  friend, 
is  a  canker.  I  love  thee  none  the  less  because  I  have  a 
new  friend.  Will  you  not  believe  it?  Is  there  not  room 
for  both — Turnpenny  and  Mirandola?  If  we  succeed  in 
this  enterprise,  you  and  Amos  must  be  made  at  one." 

Some  little  while  later  in  the  growing  dusk  the  four 
maroons  were  hauling  a  heavy  log  out  from  the  under- 
growth that  fringed  the  sea.  Dennis  and  Turnpenny 
urged  them  with  rough  cries  and  persistent  cracking  of 
their  whips.  As  soon  as  they  came  within  view  of  the 
vessel  the  ropes  were  cast  off,  and  they  all  made  their 
way  back.  When  they  returned  with  a  second  log,  there 
came  a  faint  hail  from  the  vessel. 

8? 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Ay,  ay,  'od  rot  you !"  shouted  Turnpenny  indistinctly 
in  response,  knowing  that  at  the  distance  his  voice  could 
not  be  recognized.  "Belike  'tis  a  call  to  us  to  embark, 
sir,"  he  said  to  Dennis.  "Mark  you,  they  called  us;  no 
man  dare  say  they  did  not  call  us ;  and  if  they  do  not  like 
us  when  we  appear,  'tis  not  because  we  are  not  proper 
men." 

The  logs  were  laid  alongside  those  brought  down  the 
previous  day;  then  the  men  released  the  boat's  moorings, 
and  hauled  her  off  the  shoal  where  she  lay  in  water  deep 
enough  to  float  her.  By  this  time  it  was  almost  dark, 
and  the  number  of  men  who  clambered  into  the  boat 
could  not  easily  be  counted  on  board  the  pinnace,  nor 
would  it  be  noticed  that  the  maroons  hoisted  each  a  large 
bundle.  At  the  last  moment  Dennis  had  decided  not  to 
encumber  the  boat  with  the  captive  Spaniard.  He  had 
thought  of  using  the  man  to  reply  in  Spanish  to  any  hail 
from  the  vessel  during  the  passage  from  the  shore;  but 
this  might  be  attended  with  danger  if  the  Spaniard  should 
have  courage  enough  to  risk  the  inevitable  penalty  should 
he  raise  his  voice  to  warn  his  comrades.  Accordingly, 
he  was  left  on  shore,  gagged  and  bound,  in  a  spot  where 
he  might  easily  be  discovered  by  the  Spaniards  next  day 
if  the  enterprise  failed.  There  were  no  wild  beasts  to 
molest  him,  and  the  place  chosen  was  remote  from  the 
haunts  of  the  boa  constrictor. 

The  maroons  pulled  steadily  toward  the  pinnace,  lying 
low  in  the  water  some  two  hundred  yards  offshore. 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

Already  she  showed  a  light  at  her  masthead.  Every 
member  of  the  little  party  in  the  boat  was  tense  with  an- 
ticipation. Not  a  word  was  spoken.  The  silence  would 
cause  no  wonderment  among  the  Spaniards  on  the  ves- 
sel ;  a  party  of  free  negroes  might  have  filled  the  air  with 
their  babblement ;  but  the  maroons  partook  of  the  reserve 
of  the  Indian  race,  and,  living,  as  they  did,  in  a  state  of 
deadly  feud  with  the  Spaniards,  they  nourished  a  deep, 
silent  longing  for  vengeance  in  their  hearts.  Besides, 
these  men  were  cowed  slaves,  and  after  the  hard  day's 
toil  they  were  supposed  to  have  undergone,  no  one  would 
have  expected  them  to  be  talkative  or  merry. 

Stroke  by  stroke  the  boat  drew  nearer  to  the  ship.  At 
length  a  voice  hailed  it,  and  a  flare  was  kindled  in  the 
waist  of  the  vessel  for  its  guidance. 

"Why  do  you  return  so  late?"  came  the  question  in 
Spanish. 

Turnpenny  answered  in  passable  Spanish,  but  in  a 
muffled  tone: 

"Wait  till  we  come  aboard." 

A  few  seconds  later  the  boat  came  alongside  the  vessel 
and  was  made  fast.  The  biggest  of  the  maroons — he 
who  had  flung  his  ax  at  the  Spaniard — got  up  and  clam- 
bered aboard.  On  his  back  he  bore  a  huge  load  of 
bananas.  Close  to  his  clanking  heels  swarmed  a  second 
man ;  before  the  first  was  well  over  the  bulwarks  a  third 
was  beginning  the  ascent,  each  carrying  a  similar  bundle. 
The  fourth  man  had  just  set  his  foot  on  the  rope  ladder 

89 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

that  hung  over  the  side  when  there  came  to  the  ears  of 
Dennis  and  the  sailor,  nervously  awaiting  their  turn,  the 
sound  of  altercation  above.  One  of  the  Spaniards  had 
bestowed  a  kick  upon  the  foremost  of  the  slaves  and, 
laughing  loud,  grabbed  at  the  load  of  fruit  upon  his  back. 
The  maroon,  instead  of  dropping  his  burden  and  cower- 
ing away,  overcome  by  fear,  as  was  the  wont  of  slaves, 
held  firmly  to  it,  and  stepped  back  to  avoid  the  Span- 
iard's clutch. 

"You  hound !"  cried  the  man  with  an  oath,  and  snatched 
a  knife  from  his  belt. 

Then,  to  his  utter  amazement,  the  maroon  let  his  load 
fall  indeed,  contriving  as  he  did  so  to  rip  out  of  it  a 
half-pike  which  was  cunningly  concealed  there.  The  light 
of  the  torch  fell  on  the  naked  steel.  With  a  loud  cry 
of  rage  the  Spaniards  who  had  been  lolling  on  the  vessel's 
side  sprang  towards  the  slave,  cursing  his  audacity,  shout- 
ing to  their  supposed  comrades  in  the  boat  below  to  ask 
the  meaning  of  this  unheard-of  act  of  mutiny.  But  lie 
stood  his  ground,  glaring  upon  them,  holding  his  weapon 
to  ward  them  off.  And  now  at  his  side  his  three  fellow- 
slaves  were  ranged,  their  bundles  lying  at  their  feet, 
glistening  half-pikes  in  their  hands.  Yelling  with  fury, 
the  Spaniards,  armed  at  the  moment  only  with  their 
knives,  pressed  forward  to  teach  these  mutineers  a  lesson. 
What  access  of  madness  had  seized  them?  Where  was 
the  abject  look  of  terror  with  which  they  usually  shrank 
from  their  masters  ?  What  could  the  men  in  charge  have 

90 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

been  about?  The  Spaniards  rushed  to  the  fray  with  the 
violence  of  wrath  and  outraged  bewilderment. 

At  this  first  moment  the  fight  was  not  unequal.  The 
six  Spaniards  who  had  been  on  deck  found  that  with 
their  knives  they  could  not  come  to  close  quarters  with 
the  four  stalwart  maroons  wielding  half-pikes.  The  lat- 
ter, moreover,  had  kicked  off  the  fetters  loosely  set  about 
their  ankles  and  moved  with  freedom.  And  while  the 
Spaniards  were  shouting  for  their  comrades  in  the  cabin 
and,  as  they  supposed,  in  the  boat  to  come  to  their  aid, 
the  numbers  of  the  mutineers  were  suddenly  augmented. 
At  the  first  sound  of  the  scuffle,  Dennis  and  Turnpenny, 
each  armed  with  a  cutlass,  had  sprung  on  to  the  ship, 
the  former  on  the  ladder  behind  the  last  maroon,  the 
latter,  with  a  sailor's  agility,  leaping  up  to  the  gunwale 
and  hauling  himself  over.  When  they  reached  the  deck 
they  found  the  Spaniards  dancing  around  the  little  group 
of  slaves,  who  were  keeping  them  at  bay  with  valorous 
lunges  of  their  weapons. 

No  sooner  had  the  two  Englishmen  joined  the  combat- 
ants than  they  found  that  they  had  now  the  whole  ship's 
company  to  reckon  with.  A  huge  Spaniard  rushed  from 
the  main  cabin  behind  the  maroons,  a  machete  in  one 
hand,  a  pistol  in  the  other.  There  was  a  flash,  a  sharp 
barking  sound;  one  of  the  slaves  staggered  and  fell. 
Other  Spaniards  came  headlong  out,  not  pausing  in  their 
haste  to  bring  firearms.  From  the  forecastle  ran  one  of 
the  six  maroons.  The  instant  his  eyes  took  in  the  scene, 

91 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

he  snatched  up  a  belaying-pin  from  the  deck,  and,  weak 
as  he  was,  threw  himself  into  the  melee.  Now  had  come 
the  chance  for  which  he  had  so  long  hungered,  and  his 
black  blood  seethed  as  he  rushed  to  pay  off  old  scores. 

There  was  hot  work  then  amidships  that  narrow  vessel. 
Cutlass  and  pikes  were  matched,  not  for  the  first  time, 
against  the  long  Spanish  knife.  Under  the  disadvantage 
of  surprise  the  Spaniards,  though  they  outnumbered  their 
assailants,  were  not  so  effectively  armed  for  the  fray. 
The  maroons  laid  about  them  doughtily ;  they  knew  how 
terrible  a  weapon  was  the  knife  at  close  quarters,  and 
their  whole  purpose  was  to  hold  their  masters  off  and 
cripple  them  if  they  could. 

The  big  Spaniard  who  had  rushed  first  from  the  cabin 
and  fired  at  the  maroon  found  himself  immediately  after- 
ward engaged  with  a  lithe  young  man  who,  though  clad 
in  a  Spanish  doublet,  was  not  a  fellow-countryman 
of  his.  Instinctively,  as  it  seemed,  captain  singled 
out  captain.  Dennis  made  a  vigorous  cut  at  him,  but 
the  blade  was  fouled  by  the  shrouds  above  his  head,  and 
the  blow,  losing  half  its  force,  was  easily  warded  off  by 
the  Spaniard's  machete.  He  sprang  back;  if  his  op- 
ponent had  been  a  little  nimbler,  Dennis  would  have  been 
at  his  mercy;  but  the  Spaniard  was  gross  with  idleness 
and  good  living;  heavy  of  movement,  he  failed  to  seize 
his  advantage,  though  in  the  lunge  his  knife  cut  the 
lad's  doublet,  and  gashed  his  sword  arm  in  the  recovery. 

Dennis  was  scarcely  conscious  of  his  wound.  At  this 

02 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

fierce  moment  his  practice  on  the  deck  of  the  Maid 
Marian  served  him  well.  To  attempt  a  second  cut  would 
have  been  to  give  another  opening.  He  shortened  his 
arm  and  gave  point.  The  Spaniard  was  no  tyro.  With 
a  turn  of  the  wrist  he  parried  the  thrust,  which  was  aimed 
low,  but  could  not  prevent  the  blade  from  entering  his 
shoulder.  He  staggered  and  reeled  back  toward  the 
doorway  of  the  cabin,  and  the  two  men  immediately 
behind  him  rushed  into  the  fight. 

Turnpenny  meanwhile  had  been  engaged  in  a  similar 
duel,  and  by  the  sheer  force  of  his  bulk  had  borne  his 
opponent  to  the  deck.  Side  by  side  Dennis  and  he  faced 
their  new  assailants.  One  of  these,  a  long,  sinewy  fellow, 
had  an  amazing  dexterity  with  his  knife,  and  a  most 
perplexing  nimbleness  of  movement.  Dennis  kept  him 
at  bay  only  by  the  length  of  his  cutlass.  For  a  few 
moments  there  was  brisk  work  around  the  mast.  Mak- 
ing a  sweeping  cut,  Dennis  somewhat  overreached  him- 
self, and  it  would  have  gone  ill  with  him  had  not  Turn- 
penny, who  had  run  a  second  man  through,  perceived 
his  danger  in  the  nick  of  time.  Springing  forward,  he 
pierced  the  fellow  to  the  heart. 

Three  of  the  Spaniards  had  now  fallen.  The  rest,  who 
had  barely  held  their  own  against  the  maroons,  were 
stricken  with  fear  when  they  saw  their  comrades'  fate. 
Two  of  them  sprang  overboard;  the  remaining  four, 
finding  the  three  maroons  now  reinforced  by  the  English- 
men, rushed  back  after  their  captain  into  the  cabin,  and, 
93 


.  ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

before  they  could  be  overtaken,  slammed  to  the  door 
and  shot  the  bolt.  Dennis  snatched  up  a  belaying-pin 
and  brought  it  with  all  his  force  against  the  door,  but 
made  no  impression  on  its  stout  timbers.  There  was 
a  roar  and  a  flash  close  to  his  ear,  he  felt  his  cheek 
singed;  one  of  the  Spaniards  had  fired  through  a  loop- 
hole in  the  cabin  wall.  The  moment  after,  there  was 
another  flash  from  a  loophole  on  the  other  side,  and  one 
of  the  maroons  uttered  a  cry  of  pain.  In  the  open  waist 
of  the  vessel  the  little  party  had  no  protection  from 
musket  fire;  the  loopholes  had  doubtless  been  pierced 
against  the  contingency  of  such  an  assault  as  this,  and 
nothing  but  the  darkness  could  prevent  the  Spaniards 
in  the  cabin  from  bringing  down  a  man  at  every  dis- 
charge. They  had  the  whole  armory  of  the  ship  to  draw 
upon;  there  was  no  means  of  checking  their  fire;  and 
realizing  the  situation,  Dennis  called  on  Turnpenny  and 
the  rest  to  seek  cover.  Some  found  shelter  just  forward 
of  the  mainmast;  two  swarmed  on  to  the  poop,  and, 
climbing  to  the  edge  of  its  break,  held  themselves  ready 
with  their  half-pikes  to  attack  any  one  attempting  a  sortie 
from  the  cabin.  Dennis  and  the  sailor,  picking  up  the 
muskets  they  had  laid  down  when  they  boarded  the  ves- 
sel, dropped  down  behind  a  coil  of  rope  toward  the 
forecastle. 

"My  heart!"  exclaimed  Turnpenny  as  he  primed  his 
musket.  "  Twas  brisk  work,  and  not  the  end  neither." 

"They  are  run  to  earth,  Amos,  'tis  true,  got  away  like 

94 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

foxes.  Our  case  is  not  too  good.  We  are  baulked,  my 
friend." 

"Ay,  sir.  With  all  the  victuals  and  munitions  abaft, 
the  knaves  have  the  better  of  us.  We  can  not  get  at 
them;  say  we  made  endeavor  to  scuttle  the  ship,  they 
would  shoot  us  afore  we  got  away." 

"And  there  are  sick  maroons  in  the  forecastle,  I  be- 
think me  you  said.  I  would  fain  save  them  alive.  We 
must  do  something  to  bring  the  knaves  to  an  engage- 
ment. There  are  five  of  them  now.  With  time  to  re- 
cover themselves  somewhat,  and  fortify  themselves  with 
food,  they  can,  if  it  so  pleases  them,  lie  low  till  morning 
light,  then  sally  out  upon  us  with  arms  loaded,  several 
pistols  apiece,  and  we,  fasting,  would  be  of  a  surety 
overmatched." 

"Ay,  and  we  can  not  feed  ourselves  even  on  that 
noble  store  of  bananas,  for  they  lie  athwart  the  very 
course  of  bullets  from  the  cabin." 

"Could  we  smoke  them  out?  Could  we  blow  the  door 
in?" 

"With  a  sufficiency  of  powder,  but  the  magazine  is 
beneath  the  cabin." 

"Is  there  none  elsewhere?" 

"Why,  now  I  do  mind  me,  the  boatswain  hath  a  vast 
relish  for  wild  fowl,  and  is  never  loath  to  go  a-shooting 
on  shore.  'Tis  like  he  hath  a  little  secret  store  hidden 
somewhere  in  the  fore  part  o'  the  ship." 

"Then  I  will  go  rummage  the  forecastle.  Do  you  hide 

95 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

here,  Amos,  and  keep  ward  over  my  musket  until  I 
return." 

When  the  party  boarded  the  vessel,  there  had  been 
a  dim  light  in  the  forecastle.  It  was  now  extinguished. 
Dennis  went  in  through  the  open  entrance ;  then,  feeling 
safe  from  the  enemy's  bullets,  he  took  a  candle  from  his 
pouch,  and,  having  lit  it,  held  it  above  his  head.  He 
shrank  back,  startled  for  the  moment.  The  pale  flame  had 
fallen  full  on  the  face  of  a  big  negro,  crouching  in  the 
corner  of  an  upper  bunk.  A  second  glance  assured  him 
that  he  had  nothing  to  fear;  the  black  face  was  sickly 
with  terror.  In  a  flash  Dennis  remembered  the  negro 
cook  of  whom  Amos  had  spoken.  As  cook,  being  allowed 
a  certain  freedom  of  movement  about  the  vessel,  the 
man  would  probably  know  where  the  boatswain  kept  his 
powder,  and  search  might  be  unnecessary.  Dennis  called 
to  him;  the  negro  only  showed  more  of  the  whites  of 
his  eyes.  Dennis  beckoned  him  with  his  finger;  he  only 
cowered  and  groaned. 

"  Tis  to  be  main  force,  then,  you  white-livered  ras- 
cal!" cried  Dennis,  and,  setting  down  his  candle,  caught 
the  man  by  his  waistband  and  began  to  haul  his  oily 
mass  out  of  the  bunk.  "You  gibber  more  brutishly  than 
Mirandola ;  come,  or  I'll  shake  your  fat  bulk  to  a  jelly." 

Not  without  labor  he  lugged  the  negro  forth  and 
dragged  him  aft  to  the  place  where  Amos  was  crouch- 
ing. 

"Here's  a  fat  knave  that's  like  to  dissolve  with  fright," 

96 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

he  said.  "I  do  not  understand  his  monkey-talk;  speak 
to  him,  Amos.  Ask  of  him  what  we  need  to  know,  and 
tell  him  we  intend  him  no  harm,  and  will  certainly  not 
expect  such  a  craven  to  fight." 

"Ah,  sir,  'tis  Baltizar,  the  cook,  and  a  very  whey- 
blooded  knave.  I'll  ferret  it  out  of  him,  trust  me." 

He  took  some  minutes  in  his  scraps  of  Spanish  to  make 
the  man  understand  what  was  required  of  him.  When 
he  understood,  the  negro  became  very  voluble.  He  said 
that  the  boatswain  did  indeed  keep  a  small  jar  of  powder 
in  his  sea-chest,  but  there  was  a  much  larger  quantity 
concealed  among  the  ship's  stores.  "It  had  been  placed 
there  by  the  mate — the  long  knave  I  spitted — under 
hatches,"  Amos  explained — "who  was  accustomed  to  do 
a  little  private  trading  with  the  natives  of  the  mainland, 
and  had  destined  the  powder  as  a  bribe  for  certain  pearl- 
fishers  of  the  coast." 

"Is  it  in  the  fore-peak?"  asked  Dennis,  remembering 
where  he  had  found  powder  on  the  Maid  Marian. 

"No,  worse  luck!"  replied  Turnpenny,  after  question- 
ing the  man.  "  'Tis  in  the  lazaretto,  and  the  hatchway 
being  but  a  few  feet  from  the  break  of  the  poop,  we 
can  not  come  at  it  'ithout  running  the  hazard  of  a  shot 
from  the  cabin." 

"  Tis  darker  now ;  could  I  not  risk  the  deed  ?" 

"The  knaves  would  not  see  you,  'tis  true ;  but  you  could 
not  knock  out  the  battens  'ithout  raising  a  din,  and  they 
would  know  your  whereabouts,  and  not  all  on  'em  would 

97 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

miss  your  carcass.  Be  jowned  if  I'd  like  to  see  'ee  make 
the  venture." 

Releasing  the  negro,  Dennis  crouched  again  behind 
the  coil  of  rope. 

"We  must  find  a  way  to  get  that  powder,"  he  said. 
"A  mariner  like  you,  Amos,  ought  to  be  fertile  in  devices. 
Come,  set  your  brains  on  the  rack." 

"I  be  afeard  they  be  soft  wi'  four  years'  misery,  but 
I'll  rouse  'em.  If  I  had  but  the  second  sight,  now,  like 
the  old  witch  as  lived  within  a  cable-length  o'  my  gran- 
dad's hut  on  the  moors !" 

But  Amos  had  done  his  brains  an  injustice.  He  had 
not  pondered  many  minutes  before  he  exclaimed: 

"My  heart!  We  have  them  on  the  hip!  We'll  e'en 
shin  up  the  shrouds  and  lower  the  mainsail.  She's  close 
reefed  on  the  yards,  but  we  can  unreave  her  'ithout  noise, 
and  when  she's  down,  she'll  be  a  barricade  betwixt  the 
mainmast  and  the  break  o'  the  poop,  and  not  a  knave  of 
them  can  see  what  is  toward  in  the  waist." 

Dennis  applauded  the  notion,  and  the  two  instantly 
set  about  their  task.  Crawling  to  the  starboard  side, 
they  crept  along  by  the  rope  netting  that  replaced  in  the 
waist  the  wooden  bulwarks  which  bounded  the  decks, 
and  reached  the  shrouds  of  the  mainmast  unperceived 
by  the  enemy  in  the  cabin.  To  swarm  up  was  the  work 
of  a  few  moments  to  Turnpenny,  and  Dennis  was  little 
less  expert,  having  practised  himself  on  the  Maid  Marian 
in  many  details  of  the  mariners'  duties.  Gaining  the 

98 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

yards,  they  cast  off  the  robbins,  made  the  buntlines  fast, 
then,  easing  the  gearings,  lowered  away  by  the  buntlines 
and  the  clue  garnets.  ,  Scarcely  five  minutes  after  they 
had  left  the  shelter  of  the  rope-coil,  a  wall  of  canvas 
shut  the  waist  from  the  view  of  the  Spaniards. 

They  had  barely  finished  their  task  when  two  musket- 
shots  rang  out,  and  two  holes  were  cut  in  the  sail.  Clear- 
ly the  enemy  was  on  the  alert.  There  was  no  time  to 
be  lost.  Turnpenny  knocked  out. the  battens  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and,  lifting  the  hatch,  disclosed  a  small  ladder 
leading  down  into  the  lazaretto. 

"I  will  go  down,"  said  Dennis,  "being  of  less .  bulk 
than  you,  Amos." 

He.  climbed  nimbly  down,  struck  a  light,  and  after  a 
little  search  discovered  a  jar  of  powder  among  a  mis- 
cellaneous collection  of  ship's  stores.  Hoisting  the  jar 
up,  he  gave  it  into  the  hands  of  Turnpenny,  climbed 
up  again,  and  returned  with  the  sailor  to  the  coil  of  rope, 
to  be  out  of  harm's  way  while  they  went  on  with  their 
preparations. 

,.!  "If  we  fire  the  whole  jar  we  shall  of  a  surety  sink 
tfie  ship,"  said  Dennis ;  "and  that  I  am  loath  to  do.  It 

will  be  necessary  to  find  some  other  way.    We  must  needs 

•>  ..,...•       * 

make  a  petard;  but  how?" 

"That  cook  knave  shall  find  us  a  tin,  vessel,  or  I'll 
firk  him,"  said  Turnpenny. 

,.  He  went  into, the  forecastle.  Dennis  heard  a  brisk 
exchange  of  bad  Spanish;  then  the  sailor  returned,  with 

99 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

a  small  canister  out  of  which  he  poured  a  heap  of  pepper- 
corns. 

"Most  admirable!"  said  Dennis,  who  had  meanwhile 
forced  off  the  top  of  the  jar.  Making  a  hole  in  the 
rim  of  the  canister  near  the  lid,  he  filled  the  vessel  with 
powder  and  firmly  closed  it. 

"There's  our  petard,  Amos.    Now  to  place  it." 

"That  be  my  job,  sir." 

"No,  no,  we  go  shares  in  this  work.  'Twas  your 
idea  to  lower  the  sail.  I  carry  less  flesh  than  you,  and 
therefore  can  go  more  lightly." 

"But  mayhap  I  be  surer-footed  on  the  plank,  being 
a  mariner  of  forty  year." 

"I  doubt  it  not,  yet  the  deed  shall  be  mine,"  cried  Den- 
nis firmly. 

Carrying  the  canister,  and  in  the  pouch  slung  at  his 
neck  a  handful  of  powder  for  the  train,  he  crept  to  the 
side  of  the  vessel,  ran  lightly  along  the  gangway  by 
the  rope  netting,  and,  lifting  a  corner  of  the  sail,  stood 
between  it  and  the  wall  of  the  cabin.  Then  he  dropped 
on  hands  and  knees,  and  wormed  his  way  forward  until 
he  touched  the  wall,  following  it  along  until  he  reached 
the  door.  Being  beneath  the  line  of  loopholes,  he  was 
in  no  danger  so  long  as  he  moved  quietly;  but  at  the 
slightest  sound  the  enemy  might  fling  open  the  door 
and  give  him  his  quietus  before  help  could  reach  him 
from  beyond  the  barricade.  He  might  have  felt  still 
more  confident  had  he  known  that  Turnpenny  had  crept 

100 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

along  after  him,  and  was  waiting  at  the  corner  of  the 
sail,  ready  to  spring  to  his  aid  in  case  of  need. 

Feeling  with  his  hand  for  the  middle  panel  of  the 
door,  Dennis  laid  the  canister  down  close  against  it 
To  insure  that  the  hole  he  had  made  in  it,  to  connect 
with  the  train  of  powder,  should  rest  upon  the  plank 
and  not  turn  over,  he  pressed  a  slight  dent  in  the  rim. 
Then  he  crept  backward  the  way  he  had  come,  laying 
close  to  the  cabin  wall  a  train  of  powder  from  his  pouch, 
not  stinting  the  quantity,  so  that  there  might  be  no 
gaps  in  the  line.  He  drew  a  breath  of  relief  when  he 
came  once  more  to  the  farther  side  of  the  canvas  and 
stood  erect.  There  was  not  a  gust  of  air  stirring;  the 
confined  space  between  the  sail  and  the  cabin  was  hot 
and  stuffy;  and  what  with  holding  his  breath  during 
the  minutes  his  task  had  occupied,  and  the  strain  upon 
his  nerves,  he  had  felt  almost  suffocated. 

He  said  not  a  word  when  he  found  Turnpenny  await- 
ing him,  but  placed  his  finger  on  his  lips  and  motioned 
the  man  to  retuni.  The  charge  having  been  laid  in 
safety,  it  remained  to  arrange  a  course  of  action  when 
the  door  should  be  blown  in.  While  the  sail  remained 
lowered  it  would  be  impossible  to  dash  forward  into 
the  cabin.  The  screen  was  no  longer  required  now  that 
there  was  no  further  need  for  the  open  hatchway;  to 
remove  it  might  indeed  put  the  enemy  on  their  guard, 
but  they  could  not  know  what  to  expect,  and  there  would 
be  no  time  after  the  explosion  to  hoist  the  sail,  even  if 

101 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

it  were  possible  to  spare  men  for  the  task.  So  Turn- 
penny volunteered  to  replace  the  hatch  and  hoist  and 
bend  the  sail-work,  which  he  could  do  more  quickly 
and  expertly  than  Dennis.  It  was  then  necessary  to 
communicate  with  the  maroons;  for  to  attack  the  cabin 
in  less  than  full  strength,  against  superior  weapons,  would 
be  to  court  disaster.  A  loud  whisper  reached  the  men 
who  had  taken  shelter  behind  some  tackle  forward  of 
the  mainmast,  and  brought  them  crawling  to  their  lead- 
ers. It  was  not  so  easy  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
two  men  who  had  shinned  up  the  poop,  and  to  whom, 
though  they  had  probably  seen  Dennis  as  he  crawled 
beneath  the  sail,  he  had  not  dared  to  make  a  sign.  The 
difficulty  was  removed  by  a  word  from  Turnpenny  to 
one  of  the  maroons.  The  man  made  a  strange  clicking 
in  his  throat,  and  within  a  couple  of  minutes  his  comrades 
had  crept  noiselessly  along  the  port  side  of  the  vessel, 
and  the  party  was  complete. 

With  great  solemnity  and  many  repetitions,  the  sailor 
exhausted  his  small  stock  of  Spanish  in  explaining  what 
was  required  of  them.  They  were  all  to  charge  together 
the  instant  after  the  petard  had  done  its  work.  If  the 
force  of  the  explosion  proved  sufficient  to  blow  in  the 
door,  they  would  dash  through  into  the  cabin  and  en- 
gage the  enemy  hand  to  hand.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  door  should  be  only  partly  shattered — as  Turnpenny 
pointed  out,  there  was  no  calculating  on  the  precise  effect 
of  a  charge  of  gunpowder — two  men  were  to  break  it 

102 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

in  with  a  short  spar  unrigged  for  a  battering-ram. 
Dennis  counted  on  gaining  a  few  moments  while  the 
Spaniards  recovered  from  the  surprise  and  shock  of  the 
explosion.  In  that  brief  interval  it  might  be  possible  for 
him  and  Turnpenny  to  find  the  loopholes  in  the  cabin 
wall  and  thrust  the  muzzles  of  their  muskets  through. 
By  the  time  they  had  fired,  the  door  would  be  burst  in, 
and  then  it  would  be  a  fight  to  the  death. 

If  the  occupants  of  the  cabin  had  felt  any  wonder  or 
misgiving  at  the  manipulation  of  the  sail,  there  was 
nothing  during  the  pause  to  give  them  either  explana- 
tion or  assurance.  They  might  have  suspected  that  the 
intention  of  lowering  the  sail  was  to  screen  an  approach 
to  the  hatchway;  but  as,  according  to  Baltizar,  the  cook, 
the  jar  of  powder  had  been  appropriated  by  the  mate 
secretly  and  he  was  now  dead,  it  would  never  have  oc- 
curred to  them  that  their  enemy  would  seek  there  any- 
thing but  food.  Otherwise  they  would  assuredly  have 
made  some  effort,  beyond  the  firing  of  two  random 
shots,  to  avert  their  fate. 

There  was  absolute  silence  when  Turnpenny  had  con- 
cluded his  whispered  instructions  to  the  maroons.  The 
vessel  rocked  gently,  almost  imperceptibly;  the  tide  was 
on  the  turn.  Dennis  crept  once  more  to  the  gangway 
by  the  rope  netting,  stole  along  in  bare  feet,  and  stooped 
with  a  beating  heart  to  apply  the  match  which  Turnpenny 
had  made  for  him.  It  had  an  inch  or  two  to  burn 
before  it  reached  the  train  of  powder ;  and  he  stood  back 

103 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

against  the  side,  out  of  danger  from  the  explosion,  ready 
to  rush  across  to  the  nearest  loophole  when  the  moment 
came. 

Suddenly  a  line  of  flame  shot  like  a  lightning  flash 
across  the  planks.  In  an  instant  there  was  a  deafening 
crash,  and  though  each  man  of  the  attacking  party  knew 
what  was  coming,  and  was  beyond  reach  of  actual  harm, 
they  were  all  somewhat  dazed  by  the  explosion.  But 
it  was  only  for  the  fraction  of  a  second.  Then  Dennis 
and  Turnpenny  sprang  forward,  one  on  each  side  of 
the  cabin  entrance,  toward  the  loopholes  whose  position 
they  had  marked  in  the  previous  fight.  For  a  few 
moments  they  were  baffled  by  the  blinding  smoke,  but, 
finding  the  holes  almost  simultaneously,  they  thrust  in 
the  muzzles  of  their  muskets,  and  fired  at  random  into 
the  cabin.  A  muffled  cry  from  within  announced  that 
one  or  other  of  the  shots  had  taken  effect ;  but  the  next 
instant  there  was  a  roar  as  the  Spaniards  discharged 
their  muskets  together  at  the  gaps  rent  in  the  door  by 
the  explosion.  At  the  time  the  Englishmen  knew  not 
whether  any  man  was  hit,  for,  dropping  their  muskets, 
they  seized  their  cutlasses  and,  just  as  the  spar  carried 
by  two  lusty  maroons  leveled  the  shattered  door,  they 
dashed  at  the  opening. 

The  light  from  a  horn  lantern  hanging  in  its  gimbals 
struggled  with  the  smoke  that  filled  the  room.  Dennis 
stumbled  over  a  body  that  lay  across  the  entrance.  He 
had  barely  recovered  his  footing  when  he  was  amazed 

104 


HALF-PIKES  AND  MACHETES 

to  hear  a  frenzied  shriek  from  the  farther  end  of  the 
cabin,  and  two  men  rushed  forward  with  uplifted  hands, 
shouting  again  and  again  a  single  word  which  he  did 
not  understand. 

"My  heart!  they  cry  for  quarter!"  cried  Turnpenny, 
as  much  amazed  as  Dennis. 

One  of  the  maroons  who  had  carried  the  spar,  either 
not  understanding  or  not  heeding  the  wild,  despairing 
cry,  thrust  at  the  foremost  Spaniard  with  a  half-pike, 
and  the  wretch  fell  forward,  hurling  Dennis  to  the  floor 
and  doubly  blocking  the  entrance.  Dennis  threw  the  man 
off  and  scrambled  to  his  feet;  but  before  he  could  take 
a  step  forward  there  was  a  second  explosion,  louder  and 
more  shattering  than  the  first;  and  when  he  recovered 
his  dazed  senses  he  found  himself  lying  at  the  fore  end 
of  the  waist,  twenty  feet  away  from  the  cabin. 


105 


CHAPTER  IX 

AMOS  TELLS   HIS  STORY 

"Body  o'  me!  Will  'ee  squall  like  babbies?  Make 
for  the  boat,  you  bowling  knaves!" 

And  then  Turnpenny  launched  into  a  tirade  of  Spanish 
abuse,  which  came  somewhat  more  trippingly  from  his 
lips  than  sentences  of  sound  instruction.  Dennis  rose,  and 
staggered  toward  the  sailor. 

"God  be  praised!  I  feared  you  were  dead,  sir.  The 
knave  has  blowed  up  the  powder  magazine,  and  in  five 
minutes  by  the  clock  the  ship  will  tottle  down  by  the 
stem.  Those  black  rascals  were  howling  like  souls  in 
bale,  in  the  stead  of  swinging  overboard  into  the  boat 
while  there  is  time.  Come  away,  sir;  the  craft  will  sink 
to  the  bottom  or  ever  we  gain  the  island." 

Bruised  and  sore,  dropping  blood  from  his  untended 
wound,  Dennis  hastened  with  Amos  to  the  side,  and  was 
in  the  act  of  following  the  maroons  into  the  boat  when 
he  suddenly  remembered  the  two  sick  men  in  the  fore- 
castle. 

"I'll  be  with  you  anon,"  he  cried,  hurrying  across  the 
waist. 

"What  a  murrain !"  muttered  Amos,  scrambling  back 

106 


and  running  after  him.     "Shall  we  drown  for  a  b'race 
of  savages!    Wilful!    Wilful!" 

He  reached  the  forecastle  in  time  to  see  Dennis  haul- 
ing from  his  bunk  the  fat  negro,  who  lay  there  huddled 
and  shivering  with  terror. 

"Make  the  fat  fool  understand !"  he  cried,  shoving  the 
cook  into  Amos'  arms.  Then  he  hurried  to  the  farther 
end,  where  the  maroons  lay  in  a  stupor  of  fright.  Hav- 
ing no  words  to  acquaint  them  with  their  peril,  he  sought 
to  move  them  by  signs ;  but  the  men  gazed  at  him  in 
fear,  regarding  him  doubtless  as  a  new  oppressor. 

"Amos,  leave  that  lump  of  jelly  and  come  hither,"  he 
shouted.  The  sailor  bawled  a  word  or  two  in  Spanish, 
and  sped  the  negro  toward  the  side  with  a  kick.  Then 
he  made  haste  to  join  Dennis. 

"The  wretches  are  helpless,"  said  the  boy.  "We  must 
carry  them — fair  and  softly,  Amos." 

"Ay,  sir,  an  you  will;  but  our  case  is  parlous;  I  fear 
me  our  leisure  will  not  serve." ' 

'"No  delay,  then.  Hoist  this  fellow  upon  my  back;  do 
you  bring  the  other.  We  can  not  suffer  the  knaves  to 
drown." 

They  staggered  forth  with  their  burdens,  Dennis  fore- 
most. As  he  stumbled  toward  the  side  he  caught  sight 
of  a  man  crawling  slowly  from  the  direction  of  the  cabin. 
The  man  called  to  him  feebly,  but  Dennis  did  not  pause 
until  he  had  reached  the  gangway  by  the  belting,  where 
he  laid  the  maroon  down. 

107 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Call  to  his  fellows  below  there  to  assist  him  into  the 
boat,"  he  cried  to  Amos.  "There  is  a  man  yet  alive ; 
we  must  save  him." 

"Beseech  you  let  the  knave  drown,"  returned  the  sailor. 
"  'Tis  a  pestilent  Spaniard — a  meal  for  sharks.  Be 
jowned  if  the  lad  be  not  a  mere  dunderpate,"  he  grumbled, 
as  he  lowered  his  burden  into  the  hands  of  the  men 
below. 

Meanwhile  Dennis  had  hastened  to  meet  the  wounded 
man,  who  groaned  miserably  as  he  dragged  his 
limbs  along.  Half  supporting,  half  carrying  him,  Dennis 
brought  him  to  the  side  just  as  the  second  maroon  had 
been  bestowed  safely  in  the  boat.  Turnpenny,  still  growl- 
ing under  his  breath,  helped  to  lift  the  Spaniard.  Then 
the  boat  was  cast  off,  and  the  men  rowed  for  the  shore. 

"Canst  see  any  sign  of  the  knaves  that  leaped  over- 
board?" said  Dennis,  looking  around. 

"Never  a  hair,"  replied  Turnpenny.  "Sure  they  be 
swallowed  quick  by  the  sharks,  and  there's  an  end." 

Dennis  shuddered.  It  was  his  first  acquaintance  with 
the  tragedy  of  adventure  on  the  Spanish  Main,  and  his 
unschooled  heart  turned  sick  at  the  thought  of  the 
terrible  fruit  his  scheme  had  borne.  He  gazed  at  the 
form  of  the  vessel  that  was  gradually  fading  into 
the  dark.  The  poop  was  already  under  water.  He  had 
not  foreseen  this  end  to  his  enterprise;  the  rapid  se- 
quence of  events  had  bewildered  him.  What  had  caused 
the  second  explosion?  Had  the  magazine  been  fired 

108 


AMOS  TELLS  HIS  STORY 

by  accident?  What  a  mercy  it  was  that  he  and  all 
his  party  had  not  been  blown  to  atoms!  He  could  not 
but  feel  a  poignant  pity  for  the  poor  wretches  who 
thus  suddenly  met  their  doom. 

The  boat  grounded  on  the  shoals.  He  sprang  into 
the  water  and  assisted  Turnpenny  and  the  maroons  to 
carry  the  helpless  men  to  the  fringe  of  the  grass  and 
to  haul  the  boat  up  the  beach.  Then  he  turned  once 
more  to  look  at  the  vessel.  No  longer  was  her  dark 
form  outlined  against  the  starlit  sky;  she  had  gone 
down,  leaving  no  trace. 

Joining  the  men  on  the  stretch  of  greensward  when 
they  were  assembled,  he  suddenly  heard  the  shrill  voice 
of  Mirandola  close  at  hand,  and  next  moment  felt  the 
touch  of  the  animal's  paw  upon  his  arm.  The  monkey 
had  followed  the  party  at  a  distance  when  they  came 
down  to  the  shore  in  the  dusk,  and  sat  forlorn  on  the 
grass,  watching  the  boat  that  carried  his  master  away. 
Could  the  poor  beast  think  human  thoughts,  Dennis 
wondered,  as  he  felt  its  body  trembling  against  his? 
Had  it  believed  that  it  was  deserted  by  the  being  who 
had  treated  it  with  kindness?  Certainly  it  showed  clear 
signs  of  gladness  now,  and  its  joy  at  recovering  its 
one  friend  had  vanquished  its  dislike  and  suspicion  of 
the  rest. 

"Here  we  be,  sir,  ten  mortal  souls,"  said  Turnpenny, 
"reckoning  Baltizar,  who  in  sooth  is  more  like  a  jelly- 
fish than  a  man.  What  be  us  to  do?" 

109 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"We  can  not  tramp  across  the  island  in  the  dark, 
Amos.  What  say  you  to  camping  in  the  logwood  grove  ? 
Tis  nigh  at  hand,  and  we  can  lie  there  with  fair  com- 
fort until  the  dawn." 

"With  all  my  heart.  'Twill  be  a  drier  bed  than  those 
villainous  knaves  yonder  can  boast." 

"Poor  wretches!  How  came  it  that  the  magazine 
blew  up,  think  you?" 

"I  know  not,  sir.  I  will  ask  the  knave  you  brought 
last  from  the  vessel — a  deed  of  merciful  madness." 

He  spoke  a  few  words  to  the  wounded  prisoner,  while 
the  maroons  who  had  formed  the  wood-cutting  party 
conveyed  their  sick  comrades  to  the  grove.  The  man 
replied  in  feeble  accents. 

"This  was  the  manner  of  it,  sir,"  said  Amos  after 
a  minute  or  two.  "The  captain  being  sore  wounded 
and  two  killed  outright,  the  other  knaves,  seeing  how 
that  they  stood  in  danger  of  being  sliced  by  our  bilbos, 
did  incontinently  call  upon  him  to  render  up  the  vessel, 
hoping  thereby  to  come  off  with  their  lives.  But  the 
captain,  a  tall  man  and  of  a  good  spirit,  did  resolutely 
refuse  to  yield  to  their  entreaties,  swearing  that  he  would 
with  his  own  hand  blow  up  the  vessel  rather  than  de- 
liver it  to  heretics  and  dogs  of  English.  Straightway 
he  passed  into  his  own  cabin,  and  made  fast  the  door, 
which  seeing,  and  knowing  that  what  he  had  said,  that 
would  he  perform,  the  knave  began  to  whoop  and  hallo 
for  quarter.  Then  did  the  captain,  as  'tis  to  be  sup- 
no 


AMOS  TELLS  HIS  STORY 

posed,  make  into  the  after  cabin  and  fire  his  pistol  into 
the  magazine,  and  so  dealt  the  ship  that  mighty  blow." 

"And  this  man — who  is  he?" 

"A  man  of  Portingale,  sir,  not  of  Spain,  and. so  some- 
what nearer  grace.  He  thanks  you  and  all  the  saints 
that  he  remains  alive,  though  his  limbs  be  maimed 
withal." 

"Let  us  convey  him  softly  to  the  grove;  on  the  mor- 
row we  will  look  to  his  wounds  and  bind  them  up  with 
balsam  and  other  salves  from  the  wreck." 

"Marry,  you  use  him  too  gently.  Tis  like  warming 
a  snake  in  your  bosom;  and  since  charity  begins  at 
home,  we  will  look  to  our  own  wounds  first" 

When  the  party  was  settled  as  comfortably  as  pos- 
sible in  the  grove,  Dennis  and  the  sailor  disposed  them- 
selves side  by  side  to  sleep.  But  both  were  wakeful, 
for  all  their  fatigue.  They  lay  for  a  time  in  silence, 
each  fearful  of  disturbing  the  other ;  but  Dennis,  hearing 
at  last  a  long  pent-up  groan  from  his  companion,  asked 
what  ailed  him. 

"Thinking,  sir — old  thoughts  of  home." 

"I  have  been  minded  to  ask  you  of  your  history,  Amos, 
but  we  have  had  other  matters  to  speak  of.  How  came 
you  to  be  a  prisoner  of  the  Spaniards?" 

"  'Tis  a  tale  long  in  the  telling,  sir,  but  I  will  give 
'ee  the  drift  of  it.  I  were  a  young  cockerel  of  twelve 
when  I  ran  away  to  sea.  It  kept  a-calling  me;  night 
and  day  I  heard  the  sound ;  and  when  I  could  no  longer 

in 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

endure  it,  I  went  and  joined  myself  ship-boy  to  a  worthy 
mariner  o'  Plimworth.  Afterward  he  made  me  his 
'prentice,  and  so  a  mariner  I  have  been,  from  that  day 
to  this.  Ay,  'twas  a  brave  life  for  a  man,  in  the  days 
of  King  Hal,  lad.  I  mind  me  I  were  but  rising  seven- 
teen when  the  French  king  took  a  conceit  to  invade 
England.  My  heart!  he  had  reason  enough,  for  King 
Hal  had  before  sent  a  power  to  capture  Boolonny,  on 
the  French  coast,  which  they  did,  and  burned  it  with 
fire.  The  French  king  would  have  his  tit  for  tat,  and 
he  gathered  a  great  power  and  a  mighty  fleet  to  strike 
at  Portsmouth  and  the  Isle  of  Wight. 

"I  was  rising  seventeen,  as  I  said,  and  gunner's 
mate  aboard  the  Anne  Gallant,  a  noble  galleass.  The 
fleet  made  a  brave  show,  lying  off  Spithead,  and  I  was 
hot  to  show  my  mettle ;  'twas  my  first  fight,  by  the  token. 
And  sure  'twas  a  famous  fight.  The  Anne  Gallant  and 
others  of  her  sort,  with  the  shallops  and  rowing  pieces, 
did  so  handle  the  French  galleys  that  our  great-ships 
in  a  manner  had  little  to  do.  The  only  hurt  we  suffered 
was  the  breaking  of  a  few  oars.  We  anchored  for  the 
night,  as  did  the  French  fleet,  we  hoping  to  come  at 
them  in  the  morning;  but  when  daylight  broke,  hang 
me  if  the  French  were  anywhere  to  be  seen!  And 
though  we  gave  chase,  they  got  away  and  ran  into 
their  ports.  But  a  little  later  the  Anne  Gallant,  with  three 
other  galleasses  and  four  pinnaces,  was  set  upon  off 
Ambletoosy  by  eight  galleys.  There  was  great  shooting 

112 


AMOS  TELLS  HIS  STORY 

betwixt  us;  we  drew  alongside  of  the  Blanchard  galley 
in  the  smoke,  and  leaping  aboard  her,  we  took  her  cap- 
tive, with  two  hundred  and  thirty  pikemen  and  mus- 
ketmen,  and  a  hundred  and  forty  rowers.  Master  King 
Francis  got  the  wrong  pig  by  the  ear  when  he  tackled 
King  Harry. 

"Ah  me  and  well-away!  That  was  over  twenty- 
five  year  ago.  I  served  many  years  on  merchantmen, 
under  many  a  master,  good  and  bad.  I  made  one  voy- 
age to  the  Guinea  coast  with  Master  Hawkins,  and 
four  year  ago,  being  about  to  set  sail  to  the  Indies 
for  to  trade  slaves  with  the  Spaniards,  he  sent  for  me 
and  made  me  boatswain  aboard  his  own  great-ship,  the 
Jesus,  of  Lubeck,  of  seven  hundred  tons.  Marry,  'twas 
a  goodly  squadron  that  sailed  out  of  Plimworth  Sound. 
Besides  the  Jesus,  there  was  the  Minion  of  Captain 
Hampton,  the  William  and  John,  all  great-ships,  and 
three  smaller  vessels,  of  the  which  Master  Francis  Drake 
commanded  the  Judith.  Hast  ever  set  eyes  on  Master 
Francis  ?" 

"Ay,  indeed,  once  only — this  very  year,  in  Plymouth, 
some  months  before  I  sailed." 

"And  I  warrant  he  was  stout  and  brave,  and  as  'twere 
a  raging  fire  against  the  Spaniards,  making  ready  to 
chastise  the  villainous  traitors  and  promise-breakers ; 
was  it  not  so,  good-now?" 

"Well,  to  say  sooth,  when  I  saw  him  he  seemed  to 
have  no  thought  of  Spaniards;  his  whole  mind  was  set 

113 


on  a  game  at  the  bowls,  and  he  was  some  little  put 
out  when  he  failed  of  winning." 

"Master  Francis  put  out  over  such  a  trifle?  Why, 
believe  me,  with  these  very  eyes  I  saw  him  warp  his 
bark  clear  when  beset  by  Spanish  fireships  and  bat- 
tered by  Spanish  guns,  with  as  serene  a  countenance 
as  he  were  sailing  a  shallop  for  pleasure  on  the  Plym. 
Master  Francis  put  out  for  losing  at  the  bowlsl  Tush, 
lad!" 

"Nevertheless,  'tis  true,  for  I  was  there  present,  and 
saw  and  heard  it." 

"God-a-mercy  !"•  ejaculated  Turnpenny.  "And  what 
was  the  manner  of  it  ?" 

.  "Why,  .Master  Drake  came  to  two  gentlemen  bowling 
on.  the  Hoe,  and  one  of  them  being  summoned  away, 
left  the  other  to  play  out  the  game  with  the  captain. 
He  was  beat,  as  I  said,  and  being  well  conceited  of  his 
skill,  he  was  for  a  moment  vexed.  Then  he  laughed, 
and  clapped  his  hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  other — 
a  stripling  he  was — and  said :  'A  rub  for  me,  my  lad ! 
'Twas  a  rare  game,  and  I  thank  thee.' " 

"Ay,  that  was  true  Master  Francis;  he  is  ever  gall 
and  .honey  mingled.  Art  then  of  Plim worth,  sir?  As 
you  .love  me,  your  name."  Amos  Turnpenny  grew  more 
and  more  genial  as  he  realized  the  truth. 

"Dennis  Hazelrig,  of  Shaston." 

.  "Qf  Shaston  ?  I  was  never  there.  I  will  mind  of 
your  name.  You  be  gentle,  I  know  by  your  speech, 

114 


AMOS  TELLS  HIS  STORY 

and  Dennis  Hazelrig  do  sound  richer  to  the  ear  than 
plain  Haymoss  Turnpenny,  but — " 

"Come,  man,  to  your  story,"  interrupted  Dennis,  im- 
patient to  hear  the  man's  history. 

"Ay,  sir,  then  I  must  make  a  tack.  I  was  at  Plim- 
worth,  a*  b'lieve,  when  the  name  of  Master  Drake  set 
me  out  o'  my  true  course.  Well,  the  ships  I  named, 
great  and  small,  sailed  right  merrily  out  o'  the  Sound 
o'  Plimworth;  'twas  a  day  of  October,  I  mind  me,  the 
very  season  of  gales.  We  had  a  deal  of  buffeting  afore 
we  made  the  coast  of  Guinea,  and  a  deal  of  hard  knocks 
afore  we  took  on  board  our  store  o'  negroes  for  to  sell 
to  the  Spaniards  of  the  Main." 

"To  sell?" 

"Why,  yes,  sir;  that  is  Captain  Hawkins  his  trade; 
and  knowing  now  myself  what  it  is  to  be  a  slave,  I  have 
a  fellow-feeling  for  the  poor  knaves,  black  as  they  be, 
and  bought  and  sold  like  cattle.  Well,  'twas  near  six 
month  afore  we  came  to  the  Indies  and  did  some  traffic 
among  the  islands.  Then  by  ill  hap,  as  we  sailed  for 
Cartagena,  we  were  caught  in  a  most  violent  and  terrible 
storm,  the  which  battered  us  mightily  for  the  space  of 
four  days;  in  sooth,  we  feared  we  should  go  to  the 
bottom.  The  Jesus  was  dealt  with  most  sorely,  her 
rudder  shaken,  and  all  her  seams  agape.  Then  coast- 
ing along  Florida,  we  ran  into  the  jaws  of  another 
tempest,  the  which  drave  us  into  the  Bay  of  Mexico. 
Then  we  sought  a  haven  and  moored  our  ships  in  the 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

port  called  St.  John  d'Ulua,  where  we  landed,  and  our 
general  made  proposals  of  traffic. 

"The  next  day  did  we  discover  a  fleet  of  thirteen 
ships  open  of  the  haven,  and  soon  we  spied  a  pinnace 
making  toward  us.  There  was  in  her  a  man  bearing  a 
flag  of  truce,  and  he  came  aboard  the  Jesus,  demanding 
of  what  country  we  were.  I  mind  we  laughed  at  the 
knave;  he  swelled  himself  out  like  a  turkey-cock.  Our 
general  made  answer  that  we  were  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land her  ships,  come  for  victuals  for  our  money,  and 
that  if  the  Spanish  general  would  enter,  he  should  give 
us  victuals  and  other  necessaries  and  we  would  go  out 
on  the  one  side  of  the  port,  the  while  the  Spaniards 
should  come  in  on  the  other.  But  it  had  so  fell  out  that 
with  their  fleet  there  came  a  new  viceroy  of  the  Spanish 
king,  and  he  was  mightily  put  out  by  our  general's 
reply,  thinking  it  something  saucy  from  an  Englishman 
with  so  small  a  fleet.  The  proud  knave  returned  for 
answer  that  he  was  a  viceroy  with  a  thousand  men,  and 
would  ask  no  man's  leave  to  enter.  Our  general  laughed, 
and  set  us  laughing,  too,  when  he  said:  'A  viceroy  he 
may  be,  but  so  am  I.  I  represent  my  queen  and  am  as 
good  a  viceroy  as  he;  and  as  for  his  thousand  men,  I 
have  good  powder  and  shot,  and  they  will  take  the  better 
place,  I  warrant  him.' " 

"A  right  proper  answer,"  said  Dennis.  "And  what 
then?" 

"Why,  Master  Viceroy  gave  in,  and  swore  by  king 

116 


AMOS  TELLS  HIS  STORY 

and  crown  he  would  faithfully  perform  what  our  general 
demanded,  and  thereupon  hostages  were  given  on  both 
sides.  The  villainous  knave!  Our  general  chose  out 
five  proper  gentlemen  and  sent  them  aboard  the  Spanish 
admiral;  but  the  viceroy,  stuffed  with  fraud  and  deceit, 
rigged  up  five  base  swabbers  in  costly  apparel  and  sent 
them  to  our  general,  as  if  they  were  the  finest  gentlemen 
of  Spain.  Yet  did  we  use  them  right  royally,  deeming 
it  to  be  an  act  of  courtesy  and  good  troth. 

"Then  their  ships  came  with  great  bravery  into  the 
port,  and  there  was  great  waste  of  powder  in  firing 
salutes  as  the  manner  is  at  sea.  But  'twas  not  long  afore 
our  general  became  doubtful  of  their  dealings.  So  did 
we  all,  for  with  my  own  eyes  I  saw  them,  when  they 
moored  their  ships  nigh  ours,  cut  out  new  ports  in  the 
sides,  and  plant  their  ordnance  toward  us.  'So  ho !'  says 
I,  'there's  trickery  in  brew.'  Our  master,  one  Bob  Bar- 
rett, chanced  to  be  well  skilled  in  the  Spanish  tongue, 
and  him  our  general  sent  aboard  their  admiral  to  know 
the  meaning  of  these  same  doings.  The  base  villains 
set  poor  Bob  under  guard  in  the  bilbows,  and  we  had 
scarce  seen  that  mark  of  their  knavery  when  they  sounded 
a  trumpet,  and  therewith  three  hundred  of  them  sprang 
aboard  the  Minion  from  the  hulk  alongside.  My  heart! 
Many  a  time  afore  had  I  seen  the  blazing  of  our  general's 
wrath,  but  never  so  fierce  as  it  blazed  then.  His  eyes 
were  like  two  coals  of  fire  as  he  called  to  us  in  a  loud 
voice,  I  mind  his  very  words.  'Gpd  and  St.  George!' 

"7 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

cried  he.  'Upon  those  traitorous  villains,  my  hearts,  and 
rescue  the  Minion;  and  I  trust  in  God  the  day  shall  be 
ours.'  And  with  that,  with  a  great  shout  we  leaped  out 
of  the  Jesus  into  the  Minion,  and  laid  on  those  deceitful 
knaves,  and  beat  them  out;  and  a  shot  out  of  the  Jesus 
fell  plump  into  the  poop  of  the  Spanish  vice-admiral, 
and  the  most  part  of  three  hundred  of  the  villainous 
knaves  were  blown  overboard  with  powder. 

"It  was  a  good  sight  to  see  Captain  Hampton  of  the 
Minion  cut  his  cables  and  haul  clear  by  his  stern-posts, 
the  while  his  gunners  poured  round  shot  into  the  vice- 
admiral  that  rode  ablaze.  But  there  was  but  four  of  us 
to  their  thirteen.  The  Spaniards  came  about  us  on  every 
side,  and  began  to  fire  on  us  with  brass  ordnance  from 
the  land.  My  heart!  'Twas  hot  work  for  us  when  we 
scrambled  back  on  to  the  Jesus  as  the  Minion  sheered 
away.  Being  so  tall  a  ship,  we  could  not  haul  her  clear. 
She  had  five  shots  through  her  mainmast;  her  foremast 
was  struck  in  sunder  with  a  chain-shot,  and  her  hull, 
moreover,  was  wonderfully  pierced.  Our  general  gave 
orders  that  we  should  lay  her  alongside  the  Minion  till 
dark,  and  then  take  out  her  victuals  and  treasure  and 
leave  that  noble  vessel.  A  right  true  man  is  Captain 
Hawkins.  In  the  midst  of  that  noise  and  smoke  he  called 
to  Samuel,  his  page,  for  a  cup  of  beer,  and  it  was  brought 
to  him  in  a  silver  cup ;  and  he  drank  to  us  all  and  called 
to  the  gunners  to  stand  by  their  ordnance  lustily  like 
men.  He  had  no  sooner  set  the  cup  out  of  his  hand  but 

118 


AMOS  TELLS  HIS  STORY 

a  demi-culverin  shot  struck  away  the  cup,  and  a  cooper's 
plane  that  stood  by  the  mainmast,  and  ran  out  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ship;  the  which  nothing  dismayed  our 
general,  for  he  ceased  not  to  encourage  and  cheer  us.  I 
hear  his  voice  in  my  ears  now.  'Fear  nothing !'  he  cries, 
'for  God,  who  hath  preserved  me  from  this  shot,  will 
also  deliver  us  from  these  traitors  and  villains.' 

"But  on  a  sudden  we  perceived  that  the  Spaniards  had 
loosed  two  fireships  against  us.  The  men  of  the  Minion 
were  in  such  a  taking  with  fear  of  those  monsters  that 
they  bided  not  the  outcome,  nor  did  they  heed  their  cap- 
tain's commands,  but  in  a  mighty  haste  made  sail.  The 
Jesus  being  then  alone — for  the  Angel  was  sunk  and  the 
Swallow  taken,  and  Master  Drake  had  warped  the  little 
Judith  clear — our  general  cried  to  us  to  spring  upon  the 
Minion  ere  her  sails  could  draw,  which  he  himself  did. 
As  I  made  to  do  his  bidding,  my  heart !  there  came  top- 
pling on  my  head  a  portion  of  the  main  topsail  cross- 
tree,  and  struck  me  senseless  withal.  When  something 
of  my  wits  returned  to  me,  there  was  I,  amid  a  score  of 
wounded  and  captive  fellows  on  the  deck  of  the  noble 
Jesus  and  a  mob  of  Spaniards  around;  sure  she  must 
have  been  built  under  an  evil  star." 

"And  what  befell  you  then?"  asked  Dennis  eagerly, 
for  Turnpenny  had  fallen  silent. 

"God-a-mercy,  sir,  the  fear  takes  me  when  I  think 
on't !  They  hauled  me  ashore,  with  certain  others  of  our 
men,  and  hanged  us  up  by  the  arms  upon  high  posts, 

119 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

until  the  blood  gushed  out  at  our  finger-ends.  Tis  by 
the  merciful  providence  of  God  alone  I  am  yet  alive, 
carrying  about  with  me — and  shall  to  my  grave — the 
marks  and  tokens  of  their  barbarous,  cruel  dealings. 
'Tis  by  the  same  wondrous  grace  I  'scaped  handling  by 
the  Inquisition,  that  hath  devoured  many  of  my  poor 
comrades.  My  heart  and  my  reins  cry  and  groan  for  the 
terror  and  pain  of  their  sufferings.  God  have  mercy  on 
us  all!" 

Overcome  by  the  recollection  of  what  ensued  upon  his 
capture  by  the  Spaniards,  Turnpenny  went  by  turns  hot 
and  cold  and  was  unable  to  continue  his  story.  Many 
times  during  the  night  Dennis  was  wakened  from  his  own 
troubled  slumbers  by  a  cry  from  his  companion,  upon 
whom,  now  that  the  time  of  action  had  ceased,  his  former 
sickly  terror  seemed  to  have  returned  with  double  force. 
Both  were  heartily  glad  when  morning  came,  and  with 
the  new  day  the  necessity  of  facing  their  new  situation. 


120 


CHAPTER   X 

THE    MAROONS    BUILD   A    CANOE 

The  events  of  twenty-four  hours  had  wrought  a  sur- 
prising change  in  Dennis'  circumstances.  The  solitude 
of  the  island  had  suddenly  become  peopled.  No  longer 
would  Mirandola  be  his  sole  comrade  and  confidant.  He 
was  inexpressibly  glad  of  the  company  of  a  fellow-coun- 
tryman ;  the  presence  of  a  group  of  men  of  strange  races 
was  somewhat  embarrassing.  Besides  Turnpenny,  there 
were  now  on  the  island  the  Spaniard  who  had  been  left 
pinioned  on  the  shore,  and  the  wounded  Portuguese  res- 
cued from  the  sinking  ship;  three  survivors  of  the  wood- 
cutting party;  three  sick  comrades;  and  the  fat  negro 
cook;  in  all  a  community  of  eleven.  Small  as  it  was, 
after  his  loneliness  Dennis  felt  it  to  be  a  crowd. 

His  first  care  on  waking  in  the  morning  was  to  liberate 
the  bound  Spaniard,  and  to  bring  salves  from  his  store 
for  dressing  the  wounds  of  the  Portuguese,  and  of  his 
party ;  his  own  wounds  proved  to  be  slight.  While  absent 
on  this  errand  he  left  Turnpenny  in  charge  of  the  rest, 
and  found  when  he  returned  that  the  sailor  had  already 
spread  a  delectable  breakfast,  having  set  the  maroons  to 
gather  from  the  trees  not  merely  bananas,  but  several 

121 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

other  fruits  which  Dennis  himself,  in  his  dread  of  eating 
something  poisonous,  had  not  yet  ventured  to  taste. 
When  the  wounded  man  and  the  sick  maroons,  who  were 
still  bewildered  by  their  good  fortune,  had  been  attended 
to,  he  held  a  consultation  with  Turnpenny.  As  a  result 
of  this  he  decided  to  keep  the  whereabouts  of  his  hut 
and  the  existence  of  the  stores  a  secret  from  the  white 
men. 

"They  be  all  villains  and  traitors,"  said  Turnpenny; 
"we  must  e'en  keep  them  prisoners,  and  give  them  into 
the  ward  of  the  maroons.  Wherefore  I  say,  let  the 
maroons  build  them  a  hut  a  mile  or  more  away  from  your 
dwelling.  They  are  idle  knaves,  and  having  been  so  long 
time  slaves,  they  will  be  well  content  to  do  nothing  but 
keep  watch  and  ward  over  those  that  once  were  their 
masters.  And  as  for  their  food,  there  is  enough  on  the 
island  for  a  whole  city." 

"And  what  of  us,  my  friend  ?" 

"Ay,  sir,  here  we  be,  two  Englishmen,  a  thousand 
leagues  or  more  away  from  home,  but  a  few  leagues  from 
the  mainland,  where  Spaniards  rule  the  roost,  and  like 
to  be  discovered  any  day  if  another  logwood  party  comes 
ashore.  Tis  not  in  reason  we  could  do  with  them  what, 
by  the  mercy  of  God  and  your  own  ready  wit,  sir,  we  did 
with  the  knaves  yesternight;  and  if  we  be  found,  there's 
naught  afore  us  but  death  or  chains ;  and  for  myself  I'd 
liever  die  than  endure  such  things  as  I  have  suffered 
since  the  fight  at  St.  John  d'Ulua." 

122 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

"Why,  then,  good  Amos,"  said  Dennis  with  a  smile, 
"it  does  seem  we  must  cast  lots  who  shall  be  king  of  this 
island,  and  the  other  shall  be  chancellor,  and  we  will  put 
in  practice  in  our  governance  the  ideas  of  the  incom- 
parable Sir  Thomas  More,  who,  though  a  Papist,  did 
set  forth  in  his  Utopia  most  worthy  and  admirable 
schemes  of  ruling  a  society  of  men." 

"I  know  naught  of  Sir  Thomas  More  or  what  you  call 
Utopia;  and  as  for  king  and  chancellor,  I  am  but  poor 
Haymoss  Turnpenny,  that  can  not  read  nor  write  and 
have  never  had  the  ruling  of  more  than  a  crew  of  mari- 
ners, sir;  but  methinks  'twould  be  more  fit  and  com- 
mendable if  we  seized  upon  this  island  in  the  name  of 
our  sovereign  lady,  Queen  Bess." 

"A  right  loyal  notion,  and  one  that  we  will  put  in  act. 
But  then  we  must  give  it  a  name." 

"Ay,  sure,  and  what  better  name  than  Maiden  Isle, 
after  that  same  gracious  lady?" 

"So  it  shall  be,  and  I  here  proclaim  Elizabeth,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  Queen  of  England,  France  and  Ireland, 
queen  of  Maiden  Isle  on  the  Spanish  Main.  But  this  is 
idle  mockery,  Amos.  We  are  not  builders  of  empires, 
but  poor  castaways,  doomed  to  linger  out  our  lives  in 
what  is,  after  all,  a  desert,  or  else  in  painful  servitude. 
There  is  nothing  for  laughter  here." 

And  then  they  fell  to  talking  of  their  chances  of  one 
day  escaping  from  the  island  and  seeing  the  fair  shores 
of  England  again.  It  could  only  be  by  being  taken  off 

123 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

by  an  English  ship  or  by  setting  off  themselves  and  risk- 
ing the  perilous  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.  The  latter 
alternative  seemed  beyond  the  bounds  of  possibility.  The 
Maid  Marian,  even  if  they  could  make  her  hull  seaworthy 
and  repair  her  shattered  spars  and  rigging,  would  need 
a  crew  to  navigate  her,  and  the  maroons  were  not  sailors. 
To  build  a  smaller  craft  capable  of  the  long  voyage  was 
an  enterprise  beyond  their  powers.  Turnpenny  could 
make  shift  to  navigate  a  vessel,  but  he  had  no  practical 
skill  in  ship-building. 

The  other  alternative  seemed  equally  unlikely.  Dennis 
learned  from  the  sailor  that  the  island  on  which  they  had 
so  strangely  met  was  situated  deep  in  the  Gulf  of  Darien. 
It  was  less  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  Carta- 
gena, the  capital  of  the  Spanish  Main,  to  the  east,  and 
about  the  same  distance  from  Nombre  de  Dios  to  the 
west;  but  the  trend  of  the  coast  caused  vessels  to  stand 
out  some  distance  to  sea  in  passing,  and  thus  the  island 
was  little  likely  to  be  touched  at  by  chance  visitors. 

One  other  course  occurred  to  Dennis,  only  to  be  dis- 
missed when  he  mentioned  it  to  Turnpenny.  It  was  to 
build  a  boat  capable  of  conveying  them  to  the  mainland, 
and  to  take  refuge  among  the  Indians  or  the  mixed  race 
of  Cimaroons  or  maroons  who  had  settlements  at  various 
parts  of  the  coast.  But  Turnpenny  pointed  out  that  this 
would  expose  them  to  the  risk  of  being  caught  by  the 
Spaniards,  who  were  constantly  at  war  with  the  natives, 
and  would  at  the  same  time  quite  ruin  the  chances  of 

124 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

getting  into  touch  with  an  English  vessel.  While  they 
remained  on  the  island  there  was  always  the  bare  pos- 
sibility of  some  English  or  Huguenot  adventurer  coming 
within  reach. 

Faced  by  the  prospect  of  an  indefinite  sojourn  on  the 
island,  they  had  only  to  make  the  best  of  it.  Turnpenny 
explained  to  the  maroons  the  plan  arranged  for  them, 
and  they  accepted  it  without  demur.  The  prisoners  were 
sullen  and  resentful,  perforce  submissive,  not  a  little  dis- 
trustful of  their  guards,  from  whom  they  deserved  no 
kindness.  Baltizar,  the  fat  negro,  was  given  the  task  of 
supplying  the  party  with  food,  partly  from  the  natural 
resources  of  the  island,  partly  from  the  stores  of  the 
Maid  Marian,  which  Dennis  resolved  to  share,  economi- 
cally, with  the  rest. 

A  spot  about  a  mile  from  the  chine  was  chosen  as  the 
site  of  the  shelters  for  the  maroons  and  their  prisoners. 
Having  set  the  men  at  work,  Dennis  returned  with  Turn- 
penny to  his  own  hut.  Mirandola  no  longer  showed  any 
jealousy  of  the  presence  of  a  third  party;  apparently  he 
had  been  cured  of  it  by  fright  at  the  prospect  of  being 
deserted.  Turnpenny,  on  his  part,  before  the  day  was 
out  was  so  much  amused  at  the  animal's  antics  that  he 
lost  his  first  disgust. 

"My  heart!"  he  exclaimed,  when,  work  for  the  day 
being  over,  the  monkey  sat  on  a  tub,  happily  feasting  on 
biscuits  and  honey.  "If  'tis  wise  looks  do  make  a  chan- 
cellor, sure  the  beast  be  the  properest  chancellor  to  your 

125 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

king,  sir.     Ye  might  go  far  to  find  another  such  wise- 
looking  prime  minister." 

"You  look  pretty  wise  yourself,  Amos,"  said  Dennis, 
laughing.  "We  had  resolved  that  the  sovereignty  of  this 
island  belongs  to  our  lady  Queen  Bess;  say  then  that  I 
am  her  viceroy,  and  you  my  chamberlain,  and  for  Miran- 
dola,  why,  let  us  make  him  our  jester." 

Day  followed  day  uneventfully.  Dennis  made  a  still 
more  thorough  exploration  of  the  island  in  Turnpenny's 
company,  and  had  his  eyes  opened  to  many  things  which 
had  formerly  escaped  him.  Passing  the  spot  where  he 
had  saved  Mirandola  from  the  boa  constrictor,  he  men- 
tioned the  incident,  and  remarked  that  he  had  seen  no 
other  reptiles  in  the  course  of  his  wanderings. 

'  'Tis  because  you  knew  not  where  to  look,"  said  Turn- 
penny. "The  snakes  in  this  New  World  be  cunning; 
'wise  as  serpents'  says  the  Scripture,  and  a  true  word. 
They  dress  their  skins  so  as  to  look  like  the  trees  they 
live  in ;  'twould  puzzle  Solomon  himself  in  all  his  wisdom 
and  glory  to  say  which  is  tree  and  which  is  the  coil  of  a 
snake." 

And  as  they  passed  through  the  thickest  woods,  which 
Dennis  had  prudently  refrained  from  entering,  the  sailor 
drew  his  attention  more  than  once  to  snakes  of  various 
kinds  whose  coils  were  almost  indistinguishable  from 
the  trunks  of  trees. 

Once  he  plucked  some  fruit  from  a  kind  of  palm,  and, 
pressing  it,  squeezed  out  a  juice  as  black  as  ink. 

126 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

"That  is  a  good  sight,"  cried  Dennis  gladly.  "I  found 
in  the  cabin  of  the  Maid  Marian  a  store  of  paper  and 
quills,  but  the  ink  was  all  spilled,  and  I  had  nothing 
wherewithal  to  write.  So  I  have  lost  count  of  the  days, 
and  know  not  whether  I  have  been  on  this  isle  weeks  or 
months.  Now  I  can  make  a  journal." 

"Not  so,  neither!  This  juice  is  good  to  write  withal, 
but  the  marks  disappear  within  the  ninth  day  and  the 
paper  is  as  white  as  if  it  had  never  been  written  on. 
'Tis  no  matter,  indeed;  we  should  be  none  the  happier 
for  seeing  the  tale  of  our  days." 

One  day  Dennis  showed  Turnpenny  the  cave  in  the 
cliff,  which  hitherto  he  had  refrained  from  revealing. 
The  sailor  attentively  examined  the  trinkets  which  Dennis 
had  found  on  the  floor  beside  the  skeleton  and  carefully 
collected.  He  pronounced  them  to  be  such  ornaments 
as  were  worn  by  the  natives  of  the  mainland,  and  made 
no  doubt  that  the  skeleton  was  that  of  some  Indian  or 
maroon  done  to  death  by  brutal  persecutors. 

Dennis  got  him  to  continue  the  story  of  his  life,  never 
yet  resumed  since  his  first  night  on  the  island.  He  had 
been  sent,  he  said,  among  a  gang  of  prisoners  from  St. 
John  d'Ulua  to  Cartagena  and  thence  to  a  place  on  the 
coast  somewhat  south  of  Cartagena,  where  the  governor 
had  a  pearl-fishery.  It  was  defended  by  a  fort,  garri- 
soned by  some  fifty  Spaniards.  Expecting  reprisals  from 
Hawkins  for  the  treacherous  treatment  he  had  received, 
the  governor  had  ordered  the  fort  to  be  strengthened, 

127 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

and  despatched  several  of  his  able-bodied  prisoners  to 
assist  in  the  work. 

"And  I  think  of  my  dear  comrades  rotting  in  the  dun- 
geons of  Porto  Aguila — for  so  'tis  named.  There  was 
Ned  Whiddon,  and  Hugh  Curder,  and  Tom  Copstone,  and 
a  dozen  more,  and  for  all  I  know  they  are  there  even 
now,  toiling  all  day,  with  many  stripes  from  the  villain- 
ous whips,  and  groaning  all  night  in  most  foul  and 
noisome  dungeons.  Ah !  the  tales  I  could  tell  would  make 
your  skin  creep  and  your  hair  to  stand  on  end.  Why, 
what  think  'ee  they  do  if  the  tale  of  work  seem  to  them 
not  sufficient?  They  tie  the  poor  wretch  to  a  tree,  and 
take  thorns  of  the  prickle  palm,  and  put  them  into  little 
pellets  of  cotton  dipped  in  oil,  and  stick  them  in  the  side 
of  the  miserable  captive,  as  thick  as  the  bristles  of  a 
hedgehog.  This  alone  causes  a  most  fierce  torment,  but 
they  are  not  content  therewith.  They  set  the  oiled  cotton 
afire,  and  call  on  the  poor  wretch,  with  loud,  despitous 
laughs,  to  sing  in  the  midst  of  his  torment,  and  if  he 
cries  out  in  the  agony  of  pain,  they  out  upon  him 
for  a  base,  miserable  coward  and  villain.  With  my  own 
eyes  I  have  seen  the  foul  deed,  and  many  more  which  it 
is  a  shame  to  tell  of." 

"How  came  it  that  you  got  aloose?"  asked  Dennis. 

"Why,  it  happened  in  this  wise.  The  treasure  of  pearls 
fished  up  from  the  sea  bottom  at  that  place  was  wont  to 
be  conveyed  to  Cartagena  every  month  by  ship.  One 
day  the  vessel  sent  with  this  intent  came  into  the  port 

128 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

wonderfully  battered  by  a  storm,  the  which  had  nigh 
stripped  her  of  all  rigging  and  had,  moreover,  washed 
half  her  crew  overboard.  The  garrison  at  the  fort  being 
soldiers,  and  there  being  no  other  mariners  at  hand,  the 
Spanish  captain,  moreover,  being  fearful  of  the  gov- 
ernor's wrath  if  the  treasure  should  be  delayed,  he  sent 
half  a  dozen  or  more  of  his  slaves,  French  and  English, 
aboard  that  vessel  to  work  her  back  to  the  capital  city. 
My  heart!  I  well-nigh  wept  for  joy  when  I  heard  what 
was  in  store,  for  I  bethought  myself  that  of  a  surety  we 
mariners,  French  and  English,  might  seize  upon  that 
vessel  on  the  voyage  and  sail  her  at  our  pleasure.  But 
it  was  as  if  the  knave  had  seen  to  the  very  heart  of  my 
intent,  for  when  we  mounted  on  shipboard,  there  were 
Spanish  soldiers  set  over  us,  two  for  one,  and  with  the 
Spanish  crew  they  were  as  three  to  one,  and  they  were 
armed.  My  device  was  come  to  naught.  We  did  each 
man  his  best  to  lengthen  out  that  voyage,  if  perchance 
we  might  fall  in  with  an  English  vessel  and  acquaint 
them  with  our  case;  but  never  a  sail  did  we  see  till  we 
made  the  harbor  of  Cartagena,  and  all  our  hopes  were 
dashed. 

"Then  it  came  to  pass  that,  being  a  handy  man  and  a 
stout,  I  was  sold  for  money  to  the  master  and  owner  of 
a  ship  employed  in  the  traffic  of  timber — that  same  vessel 
that  lies  a  fathom  deep  yonder.  At  sea  I  was  a  mariner : 
ashore,  being  stout  of  the  arms,  I  was  made  to  ply  an 
ax  on  the  trees,  as  you  yourself  saw.  'Tis  three  year 

129 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

or  more  since  I  fell  prisoner  at  St.  John  d'Ulua,  and  six 
months  since  I  last  set  eyes  on  my  comrades  at  Porto 
Aguila,  and  I  fear  me  I  shall  never  see  them  more." 
"Why  think  you  they  be  even  now  there?" 
"Why,  sir,  because  the  Spaniards  be  all  knaves,  and 
there  is  no  truth  nor  faithfulness  in  them,  not  one.  The 
captain  of  that  place  was  the  governor  of  Cartagena  his 
own  son.  A  son,  one  would  think,  would  be  loving  and 
obedient  unto  his  father,  but  'tis  not  so  among  these 
dogs  of  Spain.  Why,  body  o'  me !  in  the  stead  of  doing 
diligently  the  thing  his  father  commanded,  this  young 
roisterer  must  needs  build  him  a  house,  and  thereto  he 
used  the  laborers  sent  him  with  intent  to  strengthen  the 
fort;  and  when  I  came  from  that  place  the  house  was 
got  but  a  little  above  the  ground,  and  was  not  like  to  be 
finished  for  a  full  year." 

"Might  not  other  laborers  be  hired  from  Cartagena?" 
"I  trow  not.  The  Spaniards  are  so  scared  and  daunted 
by  the  descents  of  venturers'  ships  upon  their  coasts  that 
they  are  looking  to  their  fortresses  throughout  the  Span- 
ish Main.  By  long  and  large  'tis  more  like  the  prisoners 
will  be  conveyed  back  to  Cartagena  for  to  build  new  forts 
there.  But  this  will  not  be  yet,  for  the  governor  of 
Cartagena  holds  the  pearl-fishery  in  dear  affection,  and 
he  will  not  bring  the  men  thence  until  he  has  assurance 
that  all  is  done  as  he  commanded.  No,  truly,  I  believe 
they  be  still  at  Porto  Aguila,  my  dear  mate-fellows,  and 
though  I  praise  God  for  His  infinite  goodness  and  mercy 

130 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

in  bringing  me  safe  into  this  haven  and  out  of  the  hands 
of  those  wicked  men,  I  mourn  in  my  heart  for  Hugh 
Curder,  and  Tom  Copstone,  and  Ned  Whiddon,  and  other 
my  comrades;  God  save  them!" 

Many  a  time  in  the  succeeding  days  did  Amos  relate 
incidents  in  the  life  of  the  prisoners  at  Porto  Aguila 
that  made  Dennis'  blood  run  cold.  He  now  began  to 
understand  the  deep  and  fierce  hatred  of  the  Spaniards 
that  filled  the  hearts  of  adventurers  who  had  returned 
from  expeditions  to  the  American  coast.  The  same  con- 
suming desire  for  humbling  and  punishing  the  proud 
Spaniards  burned  in  his  veins,  and  he  chafed  at  the  idle- 
ness to  which  he  was  enforced  on  this  remote  island. 

Meanwhile,  the  other  inhabitants  of  Maiden  Isle  were 
living  what  appeared  to  be  a  contented  life.  With  abun- 
dance of  food,  and  nothing  to  do,  the  maroons  enjoyed, 
as  Dennis  thought,  conditions  that  answered  to  their  idea 
of  bliss.  He  was  therefore  a  little  surprised  one  day  to 
hear  the  unwonted  sound  of  wood-felling,  and  to  find, 
when  he  came  to  the  spot,  four  of  the  men  plying  their 
axes  lustily  upon  a  huge  cedar.  They  desisted  when  he 
approached,  with  something  of  a  guilty  air  that  puzzled 
him.  They  had  shown  themselves  very  amiable  com- 
panions, grateful  for  their  rescue  from  their  taskmasters. 
He  could  only  suppose  that  even  they  had  begun  to  weary 
of  idleness,  and  had  resorted  to  their  former  occupation 
of  log-cutting  from  no  other  motive  than  the  desire  to 
kill  time. 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

But  Turnpenny  shook  his  head  when  Dennis  suggested 
this  explanation. 

"It  do  seem  to  me  there  be  another  meaning  in  it,  sir. 
'Tis  their  intent,  a'  b'lieve,  to  make  unto  themselves  a 
canow." 

"But  they  have  no  skill  to  do  it,  nor  fit  implements, 
Amos." 

"Bless  your  eyes,  sir,  you  do  not  know  them.  Wait 
a  while,  and  if  that  be  not  their  purpose,  never  trust 
Haymoss  Turnpenny." 

Letting  a  few  days  pass,  Dennis  went  again  one  morn- 
ing with  the  sailor  to  the  scene  of  the  tree-felling.  The 
huge  trunk  had  already  begun  to  take  shape  as  a  canoe, 
at  least  twenty-five  feet  long.  The  men  were  diligently 
working  at  it,  some  with  axes,  others  with  fire.  Its 
interior  had  been  partly  hollowed  out,  the  wood  and  pith 
burned  away,  and  the  charred  sides  scraped  with  the 
hatchets.  It  was  clear  that  within  a  few  days  the  tree 
would  become  a  vessel  which,  whether  navigable  or  not, 
would  certainly  float. 

"  'Tis  a  pretty  piece  of  work,"  said  Dennis  to  Turn- 
penny. "Ask  them  whereto  they  design  it." 

Turnpenny  spoke  a  few  words  in  Spanish.  The  answer 
was  surprising.  One  of  the  maroons,  a  man  whom  the 
others  seemed  to  have  elected  as  their  leader,  threw  down 
his  hatchet  and  fell  on  his  knees.  Then,  in  a  strange 
jargon  which  the  sailor  had  much  ado  to  understand,  he 
gave  voice  to  the  sentiments  and  aspirations  of  himself 

132 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

and  his  comrades.  They  were  sick  of  solitude.  They 
had  homes  upon  the  mainland,  and  yearned  to  see  again 
their  relatives  and  comrades,  to  return  to  their  settle- 
ment, to  share  in  its  life,  to  seek  opportunities  of  reveng- 
ing themselves  on  their  oppressors.  And  so  they  were 
making  this  canoe,  in  which  they  would  sail  over  the  sea. 
They  were  not  ungrateful  for  the  kindnesses  showered 
upon  them  by  the  white  men;  indeed,  to  show  their 
gratitude,  they  would  take  them  with  them,  having  first 
killed  the  two  prisoners.  Their  spokesman  on  his  knees 
besought  the  white  men  to  yield  to  their  desire,  and  come 
with  them.  They  would  supply  all  their  needs,  and  follow 
them  with  all  obedience,  if  they  would  lead  them  against 
the  Spaniards. 

"Tell  him  to  get  up,"  said  Dennis.  "This  is  a  matter 
we  must  think  upon." 

Dennis  and  Turnpenny  held  by  and  by  a  serious  con- 
sultation. They  felt  that  they  were  in  a  somewhat 
awkward  predicament.  The  maroons'  desire  to  regain 
their  friends  was  natural  and  reasonable,  but  their  depart- 
ure would  deprive  the  white  men  of  valuable  allies.  And 
what  of  the  two  prisoners?  Turnpenny  would  not  have 
hesitated  to  kill  them,  but  Dennis  shrank  from  that 
course.  They  might  allow  the  maroons  to  carry  them 
off;  but  then  the  Spaniards  would  either  be  butchered 
as  soon  as  the  canoe  was  out  of  reach,  or  they  would 
probably  be  held  as  hostages  and  exchanged  for  natives 
held  captive  by  the  Spaniards  on  the  mainland.  In  that 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

case  they  would  certainly  report  the  presence  of  two 
white  men  on  the  island,  and  the  assault  upon  the  lumber 
boat ;  a  search  party  would  be  the  result,  and  Dennis  and 
his  companion  would  be  slaughtered  or  carried  away 
into  slavery.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  maroons  were 
allowed  to  depart,  leaving  the  prisoners  on  the  island, 
the  burden  of  keeping  watch  over  them  would  prove  a 
constant  source  of  anxiety. 

"The  canoe  is  all  but  finished,"  said  Dennis.  "We  must 
let  them  finish  it.  To  forbid  them,  poor  knaves,  would 
be  cruel." 

"And  vain,  to  boot,"  said  Turnpenny ;  "for  if  we  took 
their  axes  from  them,  they  would  use  bits  of  sharp  rock. 
The  Indians  have  hollowed  out  such  canows  with  instru- 
ments of  flint  from  the  beginning  of  the  world." 

"We  must  let  them  go,  then.  For  ourselves,  I  see  not 
at  present  our  course;  but  we  can  provide  against  the 
worst  hap  by  conveying  our  stores,  secretly  and  by  night, 
to  Skeleton  Cave;  'tis  a  good  hiding-place,  not  like  to 
be  easily  discovered,  and  we  know  not  what  necessity 
may  drive  us  to  make  it  our  habitation." 

The  transfer  of  the  stores  occupied  two  nights.  Miran- 
dola  accompanied  the  two  men  as  they  went  to  and  fro 
between  the  sheds  and  the  cave,  clinging  so  closely  to 
them  that  it  seemed  as  if  he  had  some  intuition  of  changes 
to  come. 

"By  my  soul,"  said  Turnpenny  with  a  laugh,  "he  be 
as  faithful  as  a  dog." 

134 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

"And  whatever  may  chance,  we  will  not  leave  you, 
Miranclola,"  said  Dennis.  "Shall  I  forget  the  days  when 
you  were  the  only  friend  of  my  solitude?  Would  you 
could  speak,  for  assuredly  I  would  ask  your  counsel  on 
this  pass  to  which  we  are  come." 

They  went  daily  to  the  clearing  to  watch  the  progress 
of  the  canoe.  As  yet  they  had  given  no  answer  to  the 
maroons;  but  these  were  working  very  diligently  at  the 
task,  having  apparently  inferred  from  the  silence  of  the 
white  men  that  at  least  nothing  would  be  done  to  prevent 
their  making  use  of  the  vessel.  Dennis  and  Turnpenny 
talked  over  the  situation  again  and  again;  but  their 
thoughts  followed  the  same  weary  round.  At  one  mo- 
merit  they  were  almost  resolved  to  throw  in  their  lot 
with  the  maroons  and  voyage  with  them  to  the  main- 
land ;  the  next  they  shrank  from  this  course,  as  throwing 
away  what  seemed  their  only  chance  of  ultimate  rescue 
— the  chance  of  being  found  some  day  by  an  English 
vessel. 

The  problem  weighed  more  heavily  on  Dennis  than 
on  Turnpenny.  Compared  with  his  former  sufferings, 
it  was  to  the  sailor  a  slight  matter.  Dennis,  lying  sleep- 
less at  night,  envied  his  friend  the  soundness  of  his 
slumbers.  The  mariner  snored  as  peacefully  on  his  can- 
vas couch  in  the  corner  of  the  hut  as  though  he  were  on 
a  feather  bed  at  home.  To  Dennis  the  hours  of  dark- 
ness passed  wearisomely.  He  thought  of  all  that  had 
happened  since  he  sailed  with  light  heart  from  Plymouth 

135 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Sound,  and  wondered  sometimes  whether  his  comrades 
had  not  perchance  been  happier  in  meeting  swift  death 
in  the  storm.  Then  he  upbraided  himself  for  his  ingrati- 
tude to  the  Providence  which  had  preserved  his  life  and 
health,  and  given  him  the  companionship  of  a  fellow- 
countryman.  He  contrasted,  too,  his  lot  with  that  of 
Turnpenny's  mates  on  the  mainland,  dragging  out  a 
miserable  existence  of  slavish  toil.  He  recalled  the  sail- 
or's stories  of  the  tortures  they  endured — and  then 
suddenly,  one  night,  there  flashed  upon  his  mind  a  pos- 
sibility which,  in  his  preoccupation  with  his  own  plight, 
had  never  yet  occurred  to  him.  The  maroons  would 
shortly  leave  the  island;  had  Providence  arranged  thic 
as  an  opportunity  for  helping  the  helpless  Englishmen 
in  the  Spaniards'  power?  If  Turnpenny  and  he  should 
accompany  the  black  men,  might  they  not  find,  at  some 
time  or  other,  a  means  of  rescuing  the  prisoners — Ned 
Whiddon,  Hugh  Curder,  Tom  Copstone  and  the  rest? 

The  idea  set  Dennis  throbbing  with  new  hope,  a  new 
aim.  Slaves  sometimes  escaped ;  the  maroons  themselves 
were  the  offspring  of  negroes  who  had  made  off  from 
the  Spanish  settlements  and  formed  alliances  with  the 
native  Indians  of  the  woods.  Their  communities  were 
constantly  being  recruited :  what  if  the  sailor  and  he 
should  cast  in  their  lot  temporarily  with  the  men  about 
to  embark,  and  watch  for  opportunities  of  communication 
with  the  distressed  Englishmen!  Even  if  they  never 
found  a  means  of  reaching  home,  it  would  still  be  some- 

U6 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

thing  to  the  good  if  their  comrades  were  got  out  of  the 
hands  of  their  oppressors.  At  the  worst  they  might  form 
a  settlement  of  their  own,  and  live  free,  though  in  exile. 

The  idea  took  complete  possession  of  Dennis.  He  felt 
no  desire  to  sleep.  For  a  moment  he  was  tempted  to 
wake  Turnpenny  and  put  the  question  to  him;  instead, 
he  got  up,  and  strode  quietly  from  the  hut,  to  think  it 
over  more  fully  .under  the  open  sky.  He  walked  down 
to  the  shore,  and,  sitting  on  a  rock,  looked  over  the  sea 
and  pondered  the  matter  to  the  soft  accompaniment  of 
the  washing  tide. 

It  was  clear  that  the  Spaniards  of  the  mainland  had 
no  suspicion  that  the  island  was  inhabited,  or  they  would 
long  since  have  visited  it.  They  might  be  off  their  guard. 
From  what  Turnpenny  had  told  him  he  knew  the  indo- 
lence of  their  temperament — the  unlikelihood  of  their 
taking  precautions  against  problematical  dangers.  Unless 
directly  threatened  by  the  vessels  of  adventurers  like 
Hawkins  and  Drake,  they  might  be  expected  to  ply  their 
trade — manage  their  pearl-fisheries,  work  their  mines — 
without  great  vigilance.  True,  they  had  recently  set 
about  strengthening  their  defenses;  but  probably  the 
season  of  panic  had  passed;  it  was  years  since  Hawkins 
had  troubled  them.  It  had  already  been  proved  what  a 
determined  few  could  do ;  if  he,  with  Turnpenny  and  the 
six  maroons,  could  safely  reach  the  mainland,  might  they 
not  bide  their  time  until,  fortune  assisting  them,  they 
found  some  means  of  bringing  off  the  prisoners,  or  at 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

least  of  striking  a  blow  in  their  cause?  Surely  it  was 
better  to  make  the  attempt  than  to  rust  in  idleness  on 
the  island,  waiting  for  a  chance  that  might  perhaps  never 
come,  and  always  exposed  to  the  risk  of  discovery  by  the 
Spaniards.  The  more  Dennis  thought,  the  more  his 
imagination  was  captivated  by  the  idea,  and  when  he  at 
last  returned  to  the  hut  he  was  resolved  to  broach  the 
subject  to  Turnpenny  as  soon  as  he  should  awake. 

As  he  came  to  the  entrance,  the  sailor's  voice  hailed  him. 

"Be  that  you,  sir?" 

"Yes.  I  could  not  sleep,  and  went  for  a  walk  on  the 
shore." 

"I  had  but  just  waked,  all  of  a  sweat,  and  shaking  like 
a  leaf." 

"Why,  what  ailed  you?" 

"A  dream,  sir.  Do  'ee  believe  as  dreams  come  true? 
My  old  grandam  was  wont  to  say  they  go  by  contraries ; 
dream  of  a  weddin',  she  would  say,  sure  there  would  be 
a  funeral,  and  she  was  a  wise  woman ;  ay,  sure." 

"I  know  not,  Amos.  We  read  in  Scripture  of  dreams 
that  most  wondrously  came  true.  'Twas  in  a  dream  that 
Solomon  asked  of  God  an  understanding  heart,  the  which 
was  promised  to  him,  with  riches,  and  honor,  and  length 
of  days;  and  Solomon  lived  long  in  the  land,  and  be- 
came the  richest  and  wisest  of  kings.  Scripture  was 
written  for  our  instruction,  Amos,  and  I  would  liever 
believe  in  Holy  Writ  than  in  the  old-wives'  tales  of  a 
score  of  grandams.  But  what,  then,  was  your  dream?" 

J38 


THE  MAROONS  BUILD  A  CANOE 

"Why,  sir,  if  it  be  not  sin  to  speak  of  it,  I  was  stand- 
ing alone  in  a  waste  place,  and  on  a  sudden  the  voice 
of  Tom  Copstone  spoke  out  of  the  air,  and  said,  'You 
and  me,  Haymoss;  you  and  me,  my  heart!'  And  while 
I  was  wondering  in  my  simple  mind  what  those  words 
might  mean,  there  was  a  thick  smoke,  and  a  roar  as  of 
thunder,  and  I  stood  dazed,  and  the  fear  came  upon  me. 
And  then  the  smoke  lifted,  and  I  saw  old  Tom  with  's 
head  all  bloody,  and  Hugh  Curder  behind  him,  and 
behind  him  again  I  saw  you,  sir,  and  Ned  Whiddon, 
and,  God-a-mercy!  my  very  own  self,  as  I  ha'  seen 
myself  time  and  again  in  the  glass,  but  sore  battered  and 
misused.  And  I  thought  sure  'twas  my  ghost,  and  the 
fear  of  it  woke  me  up ;  and  I  rose  all  panting  and  trem- 
bling and  cried  to  'ee,  and  when  there  was  no  answer 
I  broke  into  a  sweat,  remembering  my  grandam's  words." 

"Well,  'tis  all  safe.  I  also  have  had  a  dream,  Amos, 
and  yet  I  did  not  sleep.  And  'tis  to  tell  you  my  dream 
I  am  here  now.  Mayhap  it  will  fit  yours;  God  in  His 
mercy  send  that  both  yours  and  mine  come  true!" 


139 


CHAPTER   XI 

THE    MAIN 

The  dawn  of  day  found  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  dis- 
cussing the  scheme  which  was  born  of  the  night's 
meditation.  Remembering  his  bitter  experience  of  bond- 
age among  the  Spaniards,  and  oppressed  by  his  super- 
stitious fear  that  his  dream  portended  some  calamity,  the 
sailor  at  first  refused  point-blank  to  consider  Dennis' 
suggestion.  But  by  and  by  when  Dennis  had  shown  him 
how  light  had  been  his  sufferings,  after  all,  by  compari- 
son with  those  of  his  comrades,  and  had  declared  his 
belief  that  the  strange  coincidence  of  the  dream  with  his 
own  imaginings  was  an  augury  of  good,  Turnpenny's 
better  feelings  got  the  upper  hand  of  his  timorousness, 
and  he  threw  himself  with  ardor  into  a  consideration  of 
the  project. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light,  he  asked  Dennis  to  lead  him  to 
the  very  spot  where  the  idea  had  occurred  to  him.  And 
there,  in  the  little  bay  beneath  the  chine,  he  became  the 
bold-hearted  English  sailor  again. 

"My  heart!  we're  a-goin'  to  do  it,"  he  said.  "See 
here,  sir" — he  began  with  the  end  of  a  half-pike  to 
mark  out  a  rough  plan  on  the  dry  sand — "here  be  the 

140 


don  captain's  new  house ;  the  foundations  were  no  more 
than  laid  when  I  was  hauled  away  on  shipboard.  Here 
be  the  fort.  Here,  at  this  angle,  be  the  rooms  of  the 
guard;  in  the  cellars  beneath  my  poor  comrades  lie  and 
groan  o'  nights.  In  this  quarter  be  the  pearl-fishers, 
penned  up  like  cattle  when  their  work  is  done.  And  here, 
under  the  guns  of  the  fort,  be  the  little  harbor,  with  a 
quay  of  planking.  Nor'ward,  a  mile  or  more,  is  the 
fishery,  where  the  black  knaves  have  to  dive  for  the 
baubles,  and  woe  betide  'em  if  they  do  not  bring  up 
enough  to  please  their  masters." 

"And  think  you  you  could  pilot  us  to  the  place,  Amos  ?" 
asked  Dennis. 

"I've  never  a  doubt  of  it.  Twice  have  I  sailed  to  it  in 
direct  course  from  Cartagena,  and  many's  the  time  I 
have  passed  it  in  the  lumber  ship.  Tis  true  I  am  not  so 
skilled  in  the  landmarks  from  this  side  as  from  the  side 
of  Cartagena ;  natheless  I  be  a  ninny  not  worth  the  name 
of  mariner,  an'  I  be  not  able  to  set  a  course  thitherward 
without  losing  my  bearings." 

"What  is  the  country  thereabouts?" 

"Why,  sir,  for  the  most  flat  and  forest  clad.  Behind 
the  forest  there  is  a  hill,  fairish  high.  Once  on  a  time 
'twas  covered  with  trees,  but  a  great  stretch  of  the 
forest  was  of  late  burned  black  by  a  fire ;  I  mind  it  well, 
for  the  shape  of  the  black  patch  is  like  to  a  monstrous 
cayman,  upwards  of  a  mile  long.  'Tis  a  famous  land- 
mark, and  clear  to  the  eyes  a  great  way  off  at  sea.  Let 

141 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

me  but  spy  that,  and  I  warrant  I  will  steer  any  bark  to 
it  on  a  straight  furrow." 

"Well,  then,  Amos,  it  does  seem  that  with  good  luck  we 
can  make  a  landing  somewhere  on  the  coast,  and  then  it 
shall  go  hard  with  us  but  we  can,  by  taking  thought, 
devise  some  plan  whereby  we  may  release  your  comrades 
from  their  chains.  But  we  can  not  do  it  without  help 
from  the  maroons;  think  you  they  would  be  willing  to 
lend  us  aid?" 

"My  heart !  Do  but  promise  them  a  share  of  the  Span- 
iards' treasure,  and  they  will  be  hot  to  have  at  them." 

"But  the  fishery  belongs  to  the  governor  of  Cartagena, 
you  said?  Imprimis,  we  are  not  pirates;  nor  indeed  is 
there  like  to  be  found  a  great  horde  of  pearls  at  Porto 
Aguila,  for  they  will  be  sent,  no  doubt,  for  safety  to 
Cartagena." 

"Bless  your  bones,  sir,  I  warrant  there  be  more  kept 
at  Porto  Aguila  than  be  sent  to  Cartagena.  The  captain, 
truly,  is  the  governor's  son;  but  every  Spaniard  is  a 
shark,  and  would  rob  his  grandam's  grave  were  he  not 
afeard  of  ghosts;  and  as  for  being  pirates,  when  'tis 
Spaniards  in  question  I  would  be  a  pirate  without  the 
tenth  part  of  a  scruple,  for  'tis  certain  the  fishery  was 
filched  from  the  Indians ;  they  be  the  Spaniards'  jackals." 

"Well,  let  us  go  to  the  maroons  and  put  the  case  to 
them." 

Dennis  need  have  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  men's  recep- 
tion of  his  proposal.  To  begin  with,  they  were  frankly 

142 


THE  MAIN 

uelighted  that  the  white  men  should  have  consented  to 
accompany  them.  They  had  often  talked  among  them- 
selves about  the  young  lord,  as  they  called  him,  who  had 
led  the  attack  on  the  Spaniards'  vessel,  and  they  were 
agreed  that  his  presence  in  the  canoe  would  serve  them 
as  a  talisman.  Then,  even  without  the  prospect  of  plun- 
der from  the  Spaniards'  treasure-house,  they  nourished 
a  bitter  resentment  against  their  old  oppressors,  and  were 
ready  to  embrace  any  opportunity  of  striking  a  blow  at 
them. 

"We  are  the  servants  of  the  young  lord,"  said  their 
spokesman  to  Turnpenny ;  "we  will  do  whatever  he  bids." 

"Ask  them  if  they  know  the  region." 

The  reply  was  in  the  negative.  None  of  them  had  ever 
been  engaged  in  the  pearl-fishery;  most  of  them  hailed 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Nombre  de  Dios. 

"Then  our  whole  dependence  is  on  you,  Amos,"  said 
Dennis. 

"Ay,  sir,  and  it  do  daunt  me  somewhat.  In  a  bark,  or 
a  shallop,  or  e'en  a  long-boat,  I  could  have  great  comfort ; 
but  a  canow,  sir — a  mere  tree-trunk  hollowed  out,  wi' 
no  ribs  nor  planks,  no  spars  nor  other  gear;  'tis  a  fear- 
some and  wonderful  craft,  with  a  crazy  look." 

"But  the  maroons  are  wont  to  handle  such  craft,  you 
told  me.  They  will  navigate  her;  you  will  but  have  to 
cry  the  course." 

"True,  sir ;  but  no  master  mariner  that  hath  any  man- 
hood in  him  will  be  content  to  govern  a  craft  being 

J43 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

ignorant  of  its  true  nature.  Yonder  monkey  would  be 
as  fit." 

"Ah!  We  must  take  Mirandola.  The  poor  beast 
would,  I  verily  believe,  break  his  poor  heart  did  we  leave 
him  here  in  loneliness  again." 

"Leave  the  knave  prisoners  to  bear  him  company,  sir." 

"No,  no.  Besides  being  a  poor  compliment  to  Miran- 
dola himself,  it  would  have  some  spice  of  danger  for  us. 
Left  to  themselves  in  freedom,  the  men  would  of  a  surety 
signal  to  any  passing  ship,  the  which  being  in  all  likeli- 
hood Spanish,  the  report  of  our  doings  would  soon  be 
spread  abroad  through  all  the  coast,  and  a  hue  and  cry 
would  be  raised  after  us.  We  must  bring  them  along 
with  us.  Trust  me,  they  shall  have  no  chance  then  of 
giving  the  alarm  to  the  enemy,  and  'tis  not  unlike  indeed 
they  may  serve  us  as  hostages." 

"I  fear  me  they'll  be  the  Jonahs  in  our  marvelous 
craft." 

"An  ill  comparison,  Amos.  Jonah  fled  from  his  duty, 
and  by  reason  of  his  wrongdoing  peril  came  upon  the 
mariners.  The  similitude  does  not  hold." 

"That  be  a  great  comfort,  sir,  in  especial  for  that  there 
be  no  whales  as  I  know  of  in  these  waters,  but  only 
sharks." 

In  answer  to  a  question  from  Turnpenny,  the  headman 
of  the  maroons  said  that  the  canoe  would  be  ready  to 
take  the  water  within  a  week.  But  he  added  that  since 
the  young  lord  had  agreed  to  make  the  voyage  with 

144 


THE  MAIN 

them,  they  were  willing  to  remain  a  little  longer  on  the 
island,  in  order  to  give  careful  finishing  touches  to  the 
craft  and  insure  its  thorough  seaworthiness.  Dennis 
thanked  them,  through  the  sailor,  for  this  mark  of  con- 
sideration, and  resolved  to  use  the  interval  in  teaching 
them  the  use  of  the  harquebus.  He  could  not  foresee 
what  might  ensue  upon  their  landing;  they  would  be  at 
a  disadvantage  if  they  had  no  other  arms  with  which  to 
meet  the  Spaniards  than  axes  and  pikes.  He  determined 
to  take  the  fewest  possible  chances. 

Accordingly,  he  presented  each  of  them  with  a  har- 
quebus from  the  stores  he  had  placed  in  Skeleton  Cave, 
and  for  a  certain  portion  of  each  day  Turnpenny  and  he 
instructed  them  in  marksmanship,  choosing  for  their 
practice-ground  the  deepest  part  of  the  chine,  whence  the 
noise  of  firing  was  least  likely  to  be  heard  out  at  sea. 
The  first  experiments  were  disheartening,  and  at  the 
same  time  amusing.  At  the  kick  of  the  cumbrous  weap- 
ons the  men  flung  them  down  in  alarm,  crying  out  that 
they  were  possessed  with  evil  spirits.  But  their  timidity 
was  by  degrees  overcome ;  and  when  Dennis,  in  addition 
to  practising  them  at  fixed  targets,  rigged  up  a  canvas 
figure  which  he  suspended  on  two  parallel  ropes  across 
the  chine  and  ran  from  side  to  side  by  means  of  pulleys, 
they  entered  with  some  zest  into  the  sport.  At  first  the 
figure  made  many  journeys  to  and  fro  without  receiving 
a  single  hit;  but  within  a  week  the  marksmanship  had 
improved  astonishingly,  and  there  was  not  a  man  of  them 

145 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

but  might  be  trusted  to  hit  a  moving  object  at  fairly 
short  range. 

Meanwhile  Amos,  not  content  to  trust  the  navigation 
of  the  canoe  entirely  to  the  maroons  and  their  paddles, 
had  busied  himself  in  rigging  up  a  mast  with  small  sails 
taken  out  of  the  Maid  Marian.  When  he  at  last  pro- 
nounced the  vessel  ready,  several  kegs  of  water  and 
boxes  of  biscuits  were  rolled  down  to  the  beach  near  at 
hand,  and  the  party  awaited  only  a  favorable  wind  to 
launch  their  craft. 

For  some  days  there  had  been  a  dead  calm,  and  when 
at  length  a  light  breeze  sprang  up  it  blew  inshore.  The 
natives  grew  impatient,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
proceed  with  their  paddles  alone.  But  this  Turnpenny 
stoutly  refused.  With  a  voyage  of  thirty  or  forty  miles 
before  them,  it  was  needful  to  spare  the  men  as  much  as 
possible,  lest  when  they  reached  the  mainland  they  should 
be  worn  out,  and  unfit  to  cope  with  the  labors  and  perhaps 
the  struggles  that  awaited  them.  Turnpenny  scanned  the 
sky  with  a  seaman's  eye,  in  some  fear  lest  the  wind  when 
it  came  should  prove  too  boisterous  for  this  strange  craft, 
which  he  still  looked  on  with  distrust.  One  morning, 
however,  he  announced  that  a  fresh  breeze  had  sprung 
up  from  the  northwest,  promising  to  increase  in  force  as 
the  day  wore  on.  No  time  was  lost.  The  canoe  was 
carried  down  to  the  beach  and  moored  in  shallow  water; 
the  stores  were  lifted  aboard;  then  the  two  prisoners, 
pale  with  apprehension,  and  Baltizar,  the  cook,  were 

146 


THE  MAIN 

conveyed  to  the  vessel  on  the  backs  of  three  stalwart 
maroons,  and  last  of  all  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  prepared 
to  wade  out. 

During  the  proceedings  at  the  beach  the  monkey  had 
remained  perched  in  a  tree,  watching  everything  with 
many  signs  of  excitement.  At  the  last  moment  Dennis 
turned  and  called  to  the  animal,  but  it  merely  gibbered 
and  blinked. 

"Come,  Mirandola,"  said  Dennis  coaxingly,  "we  can 
not  go  without  you.  I  fear  me  you  feel  a  declension 
from  your  high  estate,  when  you  were  the  sole  partner 
of  my  solitude;  but,  believe  me,  I  still  hold  you  in  dear 
affection.  Come,  then,  and  let  your  grave  and  reverend 
presence  dignify  this  our  enterprise." 

But  the  monkey  refused  to  budge,  and  Dennis  remem- 
bered the  aversion  he  had  always  shown  to  the  sea.  He 
walked  toward  the  tree  in  which  the  animal  sat,  holding 
forth  his  hand,  using  every  blandishment;  then,  when 
all  was  of  no  avail,  and  Turnpenny  called  to  him  from  the 
canoe  to  leave  the  unnatural  creature,  he  turned  and 
stepped  into  the  water.  He  had  just  laid  his  hand  on 
the  side  of  the  canoe,  preparing  to  leap  in,  when  he  heard 
a  shrill  cry,  and  saw  the  monkey  spring  down  with  amaz- 
ing celerity  and  run  on  all  fours  toward  him  across  the 
sand,  uttering  sounds  of  entreaty.  It  was  as  if  Miran- 
dola had  to  the  last  refused  to  believe  that  his  master 
was  leaving  him,  and,  now  that  he  could  doubt  no  longer, 
had  overcome  his  horror  of  the  sea  and  resolved  to  brave 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  discomforts  of  the  voyage.  He  reached  the  brink  of 
the  water  and  scampered  up  and  down,  as  though  seek- 
ing a  dry  path  to  the  boat.  It  was  impossible  to  resist 
his  pleading  cries.  Dennis  returned;  the  monkey  with 
a  squeal  of  delight  sprang  upon  his  shoulder;  and  so  he 
entered  the  canoe,  a  trembling  passenger. 

The  maroons  shoved  off ;  Turnpenny  ran  up  his  sail ; 
and  the  craft  moved  into  deep  water.  For  some  minutes 
the  natives  kept  their  paddles  busily  employed,  till,  draw- 
ing out  of  the  lee  of  the  island,  the  vessel  felt  the  full 
force  of  the  breeze  and  began  to  scud  merrily  over  the 
rippling  sea. 

"My  heart !"  cried  Turnpenny.  "  'Tis  a  wondrous  neat 
little  craft.  I  was  wrong ;  I  own  it  free ;  and  if  the  wind 
holds  she  will  make  good  sailing  and  bring  us  ere  many 
hours  are  gone  to  the  coast  where  we  desire  to  be." 

"Too  soon,  if  I  mistake  not,"  said  Dennis.  "It  will 
not  be  well  for  us  to  make  the  shore  before  dark;  we 
may  be  spied  from  the  land.  In  truth,  we  run  a  great 
risk,  Amos.  Our  sail  will  not  escape  the  eyes  of  the 
lookout  of  any  vessel  whose"  track  we  may  chance  to 
cross." 

"True,  sir,  there  be  risks  great  and  manifold.  But  we 
must  e'en  hope  for  the  best.  The  maroons  have  rare 
good  eyes ;  and  if  perchance  they  catch  sight  of  a  vessel, 
I  will  run  down  the  sail  afore  they  can  spy  us,  and  we 
will  lie  snug  until  the  coast  be  clear." 

After  two  hours'  sailing  the  coast  hove  into  sight  as 

148 


THE  MAIN 

a  long  blue  bar  upon  the  horizon.  At  midday  Turn- 
penny lowered  the  sail,  for  it  was  clear  that  at  the  rate 
the  vessel  was  going  she  would  run  into  view  from  the 
shore  long  before  it  would  be  safe  to  attempt  a  landing. 
While  the  crew  were  eating  their  dinner  of  fruit  and 
biscuits  one  of  the  men  cried  out  that  he  saw  a  sail. 
Turnpenny  took  a  long  look  in  the  direction  the  man 
pointed  out,  Dennis  watching  his  face  in  keen  anxiety. 

"All's  well,  sir,"  said  the  sailor  at  length.  "She  be 
coasting  along  toward  Cartagena;  in  an  hour  she  will 
be  clean  out  of  sight,  and  we're  so  low  in  the  water  that 
no  natural  eye  will  see  us,  the  sail  being  down." 

They  lay  gently  rocked  by  the  waves  until,  after  a  good 
look  round,  he  judged  it  safe  once  more  to  hoist  the  sail. 
An  hour  afterward  he  declared  that  he  recognized  a 
headland  which  was  no  more  than  three  leagues  from 
Porto  Aguila.  The  vessel's  head  was  pointed  direct  for 
the  land,  but,  the  wind  dropping  somewhat,  they  were 
still  a  long  way  from  shore  when  the  sun  went  down  and 
the  swift  darkness  of  the  tropics  descended  upon  them. 

"We  dursn't  try  to  land  in  the  dark,"  growled  Turn- 
penny. "This  craft  of  ours  is  only  fit  for  fair  weather 
and  easy  harborage,  and  not  knowing  the  little  crinkles 
o'  the  coast,  t'ud  be  nowt  but  a  miracle  if  we  'scaped 
being  stove  in." 

"But  there  will  be  a  moon  to-night,  I  think,"  replied 
Dennis. 

"True,  a  little  tiny  one,  like  the  horn  of  a  cow.    Maybe 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

she  will  give  light  enough  to  guide  us  to  a  creek.  We 
must  e'en  wait  for  her  rising." 

They  had  no  means  of  telling  the  time,  and  the  ma- 
roons grew  so  restless  that,  while  it  was  still  dark, 
Turnpenny  ordered  them  to  paddle  cautiously  along  the 
shore. 

"  Tis  a  creek  I  be  looking  for,"  he  said  to  Dennis, 
"where  we  can  run  the  canow  with  a  fair  chance  of  hid- 
ing it  when  day  breaks." 

"How  far  are  we  from  the  fort?" 

"I  can  not  tell.  I  fear  me  I  have  overshot  the  mark 
with  being  overcautious." 

"That  is  impossible,  Amos.  At  least,  it  is  an  error  on 
safety's  side — hist!  what  was  that?" 

His  ears  had  caught  a  slight  splash  at  no  great  distance 
shoreward. 

"Nowt  to  make  'ee  uneasy,  sir,"  replied  Turnpenny. 
"  Twas  without  doubt  a  cayman  slipping  off  into  deep 
water,  and  by  the  token,  'tis  a  guide  for  us,  for  the 
reptile  haunts  the  banks  of  rivers,  and  sure  the  very 
creek  we  be  looking  for  will  be  somewheres  anigh  here." 

The  men  drove  the  canoe  a  little  nearer  inshore,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  Turnpenny,  who  was  in  the  bows  peering 
intently  ahead,  whispered  that  he  did  indeed  see  the 
opening  of  a  creek.  Soon  the  canoe  entered  a  fairly  wide 
water-way,  much  obstructed  with  reeds,  and  darkened 
by  the  dense  and  high  vegetation  on  either  bank.  Now 
and  again,  through  a  gap  in  the  foliage,  the  late-rising 

150 


moon  shed  a  wan,  mysterious  light  upon  their  course. 
As  the  canoe  moved  slowly  and  stealthily  up  the  creek, 
Dennis  was  conscious  of  a  strange  homesickness.  How 
many  times  had  he  roamed  by  night  on  little  tree-shaded 
creeks  and  river-mouths  in  far-off  Devon!  The  deep 
shadows,  the  narrow  paths  of  ghostly  light,  the  silence, 
rendered  only  the  more  intense  by  the  incessant  croaking 
of  frogs,  lent  a  charm  to  the  adventure  that  almost 
eclipsed  its  peril. 

The  creek  made  several  curves  within  a  short  distance, 
and  Turnpenny,  speaking  in  a  whisper,  said  that  they 
had  now  come  far  enough  to  escape  notice  from  the  sea. 

"  'Tis  well,  my  friend.  And  now,  say ;  shall  we  land, 
or  shall  we  rather  remain  in  the  canoe  for  the  rest  of  the 
night?  I  give  my  voice  for  landing.  We  are  packed 
here  as  close  as  biscuits,  and  I  would  fain  stretch  my 
limbs,  and  moreover  get  a  little  to  windward  of  some  of 
these  our  companions." 

"I  warrant  the  maroons  would  liever  stay  in  the  canow, 
sir;  and  I  own  I  myself  am  somewhat  chary  of  landing 
in  the  dark.  I  know  summat  o'  these  forest  lands,  and 
there  be  fearsome  wild  creatures  in  'em,  the  like  of  which 
you  never  saw  in  Maiden  Isle  yonder.  There  be  wild 
hogs,  of  a  surety,  and  monstrous  wildcats  that  climb  like 
monkeys,  and  see  in  the  dark,  and  will  pounce  on  a  man 
and  carry  him  off  afore  he  can  twink  an  eyelid.  And  as 
for  these  our  bedfellows,  my  heart !  there  be  worse  ashore 
•• — muskeeties,  and  sandflies,  and  ants  in  armies,  that 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

crawl  aneath  your  clothes,  and  nip  your  arms  and  neck, 
and  make  themselves  most  pestilent  ill  neighbors.  And 
we  can  not  light  a  fire  to  scare  them  away,  for  savage 
as  they  be,  whether  four  foot  or  six  foot,  they  be  gentle 
and  mild  by  comparison  with  the  two-footed  enemies  the 
fire  would  bring  on  our  tracks." 

"We  will  lie  by  till  morning,  then,  and  pray  the  night 
be  not  disturbed." 

The  maroons  were  unmistakably  glad  when  this  de- 
cision was  communicated  to  them.  To  their  minds  the 
mere  darkness  was  awful,  and  when  to  this  were  added 
the  manifold  dangers  of  the  forest,  they  would  rather 
have  faced  an  army  of  Spaniards  than  camp  unprotected 
among  the  trees. 

The  party  spent  a  restless,  uncomfortable  night  in  their 
cramped  quarters.  Yet  in  his  wakeful  moments  Dennis 
found  some  pleasure  in  watching  the  fireflies  darting 
hither  and  thither  on  the  shore,  listening  to  the  con- 
tinuous drone  of  insects,  that  seemed  to  his  ears  a  pleas- 
ant lullaby.  Once  a  goat-sucker  clattered  heavily  past, 
uttering  its  weird  cry;  now  and  again  he  was  startled 
by  the  question,  "Who  are  you  ?"  shouted  from  the  trees, 
and  recognized  it  as  the  cry  of  some  nameless  bird.  As 
morning  drew  on,  these  sounds  were  replaced  by  others. 
Macaws  screeched  from  the  tree-tops,  toucans  barked 
like  puppies,  tree-frogs  whistled  and  boomed,  and  at 
intervals  the  whole  neighborhood  reverberated  with  long 
howls  which  Turnpenny  said  were  the  morning  song  of 

152 


THE  MAIN 

red-howler  monkeys.  As  morning  began  to  dawn,  and 
these  signs  of  forest  life  multiplied,  Dennis  noticed  that 
Mirandola  was  becoming  much  excited;  and  when  the 
canoe  was  run  ashore  under  a  towering  mora-tree,  the 
monkey  sprang  nimbly  to  land,  chattering  with  delight, 
and  in  an  instant  was  springing  up  into  the  foliage. 

"Poor  knave!"  said  Dennis.  "It  seems  we  have 
brought  him  home,  Amos.  Would  that  we  too  were 
restored,  whole  and  happy,  to  our  friends!" 

"God-a-mercy,  do  'ee  forget  Hugh  Curder,  and  Tom 
Copstone,  and  Ned  Whiddon,  poor  souls?  Do  'ee  have 
more  respect  for  the  feelings  of  a  heathen  monkey?" 

"Nay,  nay,  you  mistake  me,"  said  Dennis,  smiling  at 
the  sailor's  honest  indignation.  "I  do  not  forget  them. 
By  God's  mercy  we  are  here  in  safety,  and  ere  long  hope 
to  have  all  your  friends  to  join  our  little  company.  Now, 
master  mariner,  what  is  to  be  our  course  ?" 

"Why,  sir,  we  must  first  go  and  spy  out  the  land." 
"Through  the  forest?    How  shall  we  find  our  way?" 
"Imprimis,  this  creek  runs  eastward  of  the  bluff  I 
steered  by.    Wherefore  'tis  our  first  business  to  set  our 
course  westward  and  cut  off  that  headland,  as  you  might 
say." 

"How  can  you  be  sure  of  setting  your  course  aright?" 

"There's  the  sun  above  us,  and  we  may  catch  a  glimpse 

of  him  here  and  there  among  the  trees.    And  'tis  certain 

we  shall  encounter  brooks  wandering  like  lost  children 

in  the  forest;  only  though  they  do  seem  lost,  we  know, 

153 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

being  men,  and  in  our  right  minds,  that  they  be  running 
all  the  while  to  the  sea.  By  this  and  by  that  we'll  soon 
come  at  the  place  we  steer  for." 

"And  who  shall  go  on  this  inland  voyage  of  discovery?" 

"Ay,  you  and  me,  sir.  God-a-mercy,  the  very  words 
of  my  dream!  'You  and  me,  Haymoss,  you  and  me!' 
'Tis  a  good  sign  for  sure.  The  maroons  shall  lie  hid  in 
the  creek,  and  keep  ward  over  the  prisoners." 

"But  can  we  trust  them?  Will  they  not,  having  ar- 
rived on  the  mainland,  act  after  their  own  devices  and 
depart?" 

'  'Tis  a  risk,  in  truth ;  but  I  will  speak  to  them  with  all 
gravity,  and  bring  to  their  minds  the  Spaniards'  treasure, 
and  the  stripes  they  suffered  in  bondage.  We  will  see 
if  there  be  faith  in  their  black  blood." 

After  a  conversation  with  the  maroons,  Turnpenny 
announced  that  they  had  agreed  to  remain  in  the  creek 
until  nightfall.  If  the  white  men  had  not  returned  then, 
they  would  hold  themselves  free  to  act  as  they  pleased. 
Then  Dennis  and  the  sailor  set  off  on  their  scouting 
expedition. 

At  the  edge  of  the  forest  the  trees  grew  fairly  wide 
apart,  and  the  canopy  above  admitted  a  few  rays  which 
lay  as  bright  spots  on  the  floor  of  dead  leaves.  But  as 
the  two  adventurers  proceeded  the  forest  became  thicker 
and  thicker,  until  they  walked  in  a  dim  twilight.  Well 
covered  with  vegetation  as  Maiden  Isle  had  been,  Dennis 
had  never  imagined  anything  like  the  dense  woodland 

154 


THE  MAIN 

through  which  he  was  now  slowly  making  his  way.  It 
steamed  with  moisture ;  the  din  of  early  morning  had 
given  place  to  a  mysterious  stillness;  birds  and  animals 
were  quiet  or  asleep,  and  if  the  silence  was  broken  at 
rare  moments  by  the  long  howl  of  a  monkey,  the  melan- 
choly sound  did  but  enhance  the  impression  of  utter 
solitude.  Turnpenny  led  the  way  with  great  wariness ; 
his  former  experience  of  forest  life  warned  him  of  dan- 
gers that  might  lie  in  wait — a  slumbering  jaguar  which 
their  footfall  might  disturb,  a  snake  so  cunningly  marked 
that  it  was  indistinguishable  from  the  tree  about  which 
it  was  coiled.  Several  times  he  halted,  in  doubt  of  his 
bearings.  Once,  when  he  confessed  himself  beaten,  he 
climbed  with  a  mariner's  agility  a  towering  trunk,  and 
declared  when  he  descended  that  from  its  top  he  had 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  open  sea  and  so  learned  the 
general  direction  in  which  to  go. 

They  came  at  length  to  a  narrow  open  space,  where 
apparently  trees  had  been  felled  at  no  very  distant  date. 
Turnpenny  was  pointing  out  a  hairy  sloth  hanging  under 
a  branch  like  a  nest  of  termites  when  suddenly  Dennis 
touched  him  on  the  arm  and  bade  him  look  across  the 
glade. 

"What  is  it?"  he  whispered. 

"Methinks  the  figure  of  a  man,  moving  among  the 
trees." 

Though  he  had  spoken  under  his  breath,  it  almost 
seemed  that  his  words  had  been  overheard,  for  the  figure 

iSS 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

halted,  then  instantly  turned  sidewise  and  vanished  from 
their  sight. 

"We  must  after  him,"  said  Turnpenny. 

"Ay,  and  catch  him,  or  there  is  an  end  to  our  venture 
and  us.  He  is  alone,  for  he  made  no  sound,  and  if  he 
had  companions  near  by  he  would  surely  have  summoned 
them." 

Without  further  pause  Dennis  ran  across  the  glade, 
and  plunged  into  the  forest  on  the  other  side,  taking  the 
southerly  direction  in  which  he  had  seen  the  figure  dis- 
appear. He  had  not  gone  far  before  he  heard  the  rustle 
and  crash  of  some  one  forcing  his  way  through  the  under- 
growth; clearly  the  fugitive  was  not  a  good  runner  or 
he  would  have  been  out  of  earshot  before  this.  Dennis 
quickened  his  step,  guided  always  by  the  sound,  ever 
increasing  in  loudness.  At  length  he  again  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  man,  laboring  ahead;  he  gained  on  him, 
and  was  within  a  few  yards  when  the  runaway  suddenly 
turned,  and  Dennis  halted  and  swerved  aside  just  in 
time  to  evade  a  spear  hurled  straight  at  him.  It  whizzed 
through  the  air,  flew  harmlessly  by,  and  struck  with  a 
twang  a  tree-trunk,  where  it  hung  quivering. 

Next  moment  Dennis  sprang  forward  and  closed  with 
the  man.  He  had  no  time  to  take  note  of  him,  save  that 
he  was  more  than  commonly  tall.  But  it  struck  him  with 
surprise  that  he  met  with  no  real  resistance.  The  man 
staggered  under  the  impact,  the  two  rolled  on  the  turf- 
strewn  ground,  and  in  an  instant  Dennis  was  uppermost 

156 


THE  MAIN 

He  scarcely  needed  the  Devonian  trick  of  wrestling  to 
maintain  his  advantage ;  his  opponent  was  already  spent. 
Holding  him  down,  Dennis  raised  himself  at  arm's 
length  to  recover  breath  and  take  stock  of  the  fugitive. 
He  was  struck  by  the  glare  of  inextinguishable  hate  in 
the  man's  haggard  eyes.  Helpless  as  he  was,  there  was 
no  yielding  in  his  mien;  it  was  weakness,  not  fear  or 
cowardice,  that  had  made  him  such  an  easy  captive. 

In  a  few  moments  Turnpenny  came  up  breathless. 
Seeing  that  Dennis  held  the  man  firmly  down,  he  did  not 
offer  to  assist,  but  halted  and  threw  a  keen  glance  at  the 
prisoner. 

"God-a-mercy !"  he  exclaimed  suddenly.  "  'You  and 
me,  Haymoss' — 'tis  the  dream  come  true.  Tis  Tom 
Copstone,  'tis  very  Tom !  Sir,  let  him  up ;  'tis  my  dear 
comrade,  my  messmate  in  the  Jesus.  Oh,  Tom,  what  a 
piece  of  work  is  this?" 

Dennis  was  amazed  at  the  alteration  in  the  man's  ex- 
pression. The  fierce  blaze  of  his  bloodshot  eyes  was 
quenched  in  a  mist  of  tears. 

"Haymoss !  dear  Haymoss !"  he  murmured,  and  seemed 
like  to  swoon  away. 

Turnpenny  was  by  this  time  on  his  knees  beside  his 
old  comrade. 

"Oh,  Tom,  to  see  you  in  this  sorry  plight!"  he  ex- 
claimed pitifully. 

He  raised  the  prostrate  figure.  Copstone  did  indeed 
present  a  sorry  spectacle.  His  clothes  were  completely 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

in  tatters;  he  was  emaciated  almost  to  a  skeleton;  his 
hair  and  beard  hung  long,  straggling  and  matted. 

"Tell  me,  Tom,  me  and  this  true  friend,  what  has 
brought  'ee  to  this  fearsome  pass." 

"I  ran  away;  'tis  three  months  since.  Three,  I  say, 
but  I  can  not  tell;  maybe  'tis  four  or  five.  I  ran  away 
from  those  devils ;  'twas  more  than  flesh  and  blood  could 
endure." 

"But  whither,  whither,  Tom?" 

"I  had  hoped  to  fall  in  with  a  friendly  folk — maroons 
or  Indians,  for  such  hate  the  Spaniards,  and  whoso  hate 
the  Spaniards  must  be  friends  to  me.  But  I  found  none, 
and  I  had  perforce  to  take  to  the  forest,  and  here  I  made 
shift  to  keep  body  and  soul  together  with  the  fruits  of 
the  earth.  Then  I  was  stricken  with  the  forest  fever,  and 
lay  for  nights  and  days  shivering  and  burning  by  turns." 

"Take  time,  dear  Tom,"  said  Turnpenny,  noticing  the 
other's  gasps.  "We  be  true  friends." 

"And  here  is  wine  from  my  store,"  said  Dennis,  pro- 
ducing a  flask.  "It  will  refresh  you." 

The  man  drank  gratefully. 

"And  I  marvel,"  added  Turnpenny,  "that  'ee  be  still 
alive  in  this  fearsome  place  of  wild  beasts.  Verily  the 
Almighty  has  kept  a  guard  over  you,  even  as  He  de- 
fended Daniel  in  the  den  of  lions." 

"  Tis  true ;  yet  I  did  what  I  could  for  myself.  Come 
and  see." 

He  led  them  through  the  forest,  winding  in  and  out 

158 


THE  MAIN 

among  the  trees  in  a  manner  that  seemed  to  the  others 
nothing  short  of  marvelous.  He  came  to  a  great  trunk 
in  which  there  were  notches  cut  from  a  point  near  the 
base  to  the  lowest  branch.  By  these  notches  he  climbed 
up,  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  following  in  turn.  The  steps 
ceased  when  the  bough  was  reached;  then  he  ascended 
some  twenty  feet  through  the  foliage  until  he  came  to 
a  little  hut,  formed  of  branches  cunningly  intertwined 
with  a  roofing  of  thatch. 

"My  heart,  'tis  a  pleasant  and  delectable  mansion!" 
said  Turnpenny,  looking  admiringly  at  the  leafy  struc- 
ture. "And  did  'ee  fashion  it  with  your  own  hands, 
Tom?" 

"No,"  replied  the  man  with  a  smile.  "Here  I  found 
it,  as  it  is.  It  was  made,  I  doubt  not,  by  Indians  in  the 
time  before  the  Spaniards  set  foot  on  these  shores.  'Twas 
here  I  lay  when  the  fever  was  heavy  upon  me,  and  I 
thought  to  die.  Oh!  how  good  it  is  to  see  your  face, 
Haymoss ;  but  what  brings  'ee,  old  friend,  to  this  dread- 
ful place,  and  how  got  you  free  from  the  hands  of  the 
oppressor?" 

"  'Twas  the  deed  of  this  gentleman,  a  man  of  Devon, 
Tom,  that  was  cast  on  an  island  yonder  in  the  Main,  and 
by  wit  and  courage  loosed  me  from  bondage." 

He  told  the  whole  story,  to  the  great  wonderment  of 
his  friend. 

"And  now  we  be  here  to  help  Ned  Whiddon  and  Hugh 
Curder  and  others  of  our  messmates  in  the  fort,"  he 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

said  in  conclusion.  "By  God's  mercy  we  will  snatch 
them,  too,  from  the  house  of  bondage,  and  make  them 
free  men  once  more." 

"Ay,  and  I  will  help.  The  sight  of  'ee  has  done  me 
a  world  of  good;  the  Lord  has  put  a  new  song  in  my 
mouth.  I  will  lead  you.  I  know  this  forest  in  and  out, 
Haymoss,  for  though  I  be  by  rights  but  a  single  mariner, 
I  am  made  now  into  a  woodman.  For  why?  'Cos  other- 
wise I  should  have  been  a  dead  man.  The  spear  I  threw 
but  now — God  be  praised  it  failed  of  its  mark,  sir! — 
and  I  bethink  me  'tis  still  sticking  in  the  tree — it  hath 
served  me  in  good  stead  many  a  time  and  oft.  'Twas 
the  only  thing  I  brought  away  with  me,  and  without  it 
long  ere  this  the  birds  would  ha'  picked  my  bones." 

"Think  'ee  thou'rt  strong  enough  to  lead  us  to  the 
fort,  Tom?"  asked  Turnpenny. 

"Ay,  sure,  and  'tis  a  good  time,  i'  the  heat  o'  the 
day,  when  the  Spaniards  be  mostly  asleep.  We  will 
e'en  go  at  once.  What  be  the  name  of  this  true  friend  ?" 
he  suddenly  inquired. 

"  'Tis  Dennis  Hazelrig,  Tom,  and  a'  come  from  Shas- 
ton,  and  has  'changed  a  word  with  Master  Drake." 

"Ah,  Master  Drake  be  a  rare  fine  man  and  mariner. 
I  warrant  he  hath  not  forgot  the  base  dealings  o'  the 
knaves  at  St.  John  d'Ulua,  and  in  my  bondage  I  looked 
for  the  day  when  he  should  come  with  a  mighty  power 
and  do  unto  them  what  they  had  done  to  us,  and  more 
also.  But  I  could  not  wait,  Haymoss,  I  could  not  wait; 

160 


THE  MAIN 

and  now  we  be  met,  Master  Hazelrig,  and  you  and  me, 
Haymoss — " 

"My  heart,  the  very  words  of  my  dream !  Ay,  Tom, 
you  and  me  and  Master  Hazelrig,  we  three,  will  do  what 
men  may  do  to  succor  Hugh  Curder  and  Ned  Whiddon, 
and  other  of  our  dear  comrades  in  distress." 


161 


CHAPTER  XII 

BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

Tom  Copstone  leading,  the  party  of  three  swiftly 
made  their  way  through  the  woodland.  The  mark  was 
the  southwestern  angle  of  the  fort ;  that  was  the  quarter, 
said  Copstone,  whence  it  might  be  most  safely  recon- 
noitered.  The  ground  rose  gradually  as  they  proceeded, 
and,  after  walking  for  what  must  have  been  several  miles, 
they  came  upon  a  large  open  space  which  had  evidently 
been  cleared  by  fire. 

"  Tis  the  black  cayman  on  the  hill  above  the  fort," 
whispered  Turnpenny  to  Dennis.  "You  mind,  sir?" 

"Ay,  the  landmark  of  which  you  made  mention." 

Skirting  the  upper  side  of  the  clearing  for  a  few  hun- 
dred yards,  being  careful  to  remain  slightly  within  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  they  arrived  at  a  spot  where,  while 
themselves  concealed,  they  had  an  uninterrupted  view 
of  the  country  before  them.  There  was  a  thin  belt  of 
woodland  beyond  the  clearing,  but  the  hill  then  dipped 
somewhat  steeply,  and  through  this  dip  they  saw  the 
fort  which  held  so  many  bitter  memories  for  the  sailors, 
and  the  sea  stretching  out  beneath  it,  a  vast  shimmering 
plain. 

163 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

"  'Tis  bigger  than  I  deemed  likely,"  said  Dennis,  "the 
garrison  being  but  fifty,  if  I  remember  right." 

"True,  sir,"  said  Copstone,  "there  be  but  fifty  Span- 
iards, but  there  be  Indians  and  maroons  within  the  walls 
as  well,  the  slaves  and  pearl-fishers,  to  wit.  Aforetime, 
as  I  have  heard  tell,  the  fishers  lived  in  huts  around; 
but  about  six  year  ago  a  French  vessel  bore  suddenly 
down  upon  the  place.  The  Spaniards,  some  twenty  or 
thirty  then,  had  no  warning,  and  the  Frenchmen  had 
an  easy  job  to  carry  off  all  the  treasure  that  the  captain 
had  stored  up,  and  in  the  tumult  a  great  part  of  the 
fishers  made  off  and  were  never  seen  more.  Thereafter 
the  governor  of  Cartagena  gave  command  that  the  fort 
should  be  strengthened  and  the  workers  lodged  within; 
you  can  see  the  huts  ranged  along  inside  by  the  wall." 

"  'Twas  shutting  the  door  after  the  steed  was  stolen," 
said  Dennis  with  a  smile.  "Now  let  me  print  the  lines 
of  the  settlement  upon  my  memory." 

The  fort  was  a  rough  square  in  shape,  with  a  round 
tower  at  each  corner.  In  the  center  of  the  inclosure 
was  a  long,  low  house,  with  a  veranda,  which  Copstone 
explained  was  the  commandant's  new  house,  but  lately 
finished.  Close  by  was  a  smaller  house,  occupied  by  the 
captain  of  the  garrison,  and  beyond  this  a  row  of  still 
smaller  buildings,  devoted  to  the  Spanish  troops.  From 
this  elevated  position  they  could  see  that  on  the  eastern 
side  the  fort  was  bounded  by  a  stream  which  appeared 
to  wash  the  wall;  but  Copstone  said  that  between  the 

163 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

wall  and  the  stream  was  a  level  walk  about  twelve  feet 
wide,  where  the  officers  were  accustomed  to  promenade 
in  the  cool  of  the  evening.  The  one  gate  of  the  fort 
was  cut  in  the  eastern  wall,  and  it  led  immediately  to 
a  narrow  pier  running  into  the  river,  where  the  vessels 
were  loaded  and  unloaded.  Between  the  pier  and  the 
mouth  of  the  stream  a  small  two-masted  bark  now  lay 
at  anchor;  there  was  safe  harborage,  and  this  vessel 
probably  awaited  its  cargo  of  pearls  to  be  conveyed  to 
Cartagena,  having  brought  provisions  thence. 

The  northern  wall,  Copstone  said,  was  built  on  a  rocky 
cliff  about  thirty  feet  high,  washed  at  high  tide  by  the 
sea,  which  swept  round  the  northeastern  angle,  and 
formed,  with  a  series  of  broken  rocks  and  boulders,  an 
effective  defense  to  a  great  part  of  the  western  wall. 
The  southern  face  of  the  fort  was  hidden  from  the  spec- 
tators by  the  intervening  trees,  but  between  it  and  this 
belt  of  woodland  was  an  open  space  some  two  hundred 
and  fifty  yards  wide,  cleared  with  the  object  of  depriv- 
ing possible  assailants  of  cover.  About  a  mile  to  the 
right  was  the  scene  of  the  pearl-fishing,  and  the  fishers 
were  at  that  moment  to  be  seen  at  work,  diving  from 
canoes  in  each  of  which,  said  Copstone,  were  two  Span- 
iards fully  armed. 

"And  where  be  our  dear  comrades,  Tom?"  asked 
Turnpenny.  "In  my  time  they  were  lodged  in  under- 
ground dungeons  hewn  out  of  the  rock  beneath  the 
tower  yonder." 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

"And  there  they  be  still,  poor  souls,"  said  Copstone. 
"Ah!  many's  the  hour  I've  spent  in  the  selfsame  dun- 
geon, groaning  with  the  pain  of  the  stripes  made  by 
their  whips  on  my  bare  back." 

"And  'twas  thence  'ee  fled,  Tom?  I  marvel  how  'ee 
broke  out  o'  that  strong-fast  place." 

"Nay,  never  a  soul  has  broken  out  of  they  dungeons. 
It  was  in  this  wise  with  me.  One  day  a  fearsome  storm 
blew  up  without  a  minute's  warning.  The  harbor  yon- 
der, that  is  wont  to  be  safe,  was  a  seething  whirlpool 
then,  and  a  bark  that  lay  beside  the  pier,  laden  with  a 
treasure  of  pearls  in  readiness  for  the  voyage,  was  dashed 
hither  and  thither  by  the  fury  of  the  waves  until  she  was 
like  to  be  battered  into  splinters.  There  was  a  cry 
for  all  hands  to  save  her,  and  we  were  driven  out  of  the 
gate  to  do  what  we  could.  The  sky  was  black  as  pitch, 
though  'twas  an  hour  or  two  from  sunset,  and  in  the 
midst  of  that  coil,  covered  by  the  darkness,  I  dropped 
down  over  the  embankment  wall,  clinging  on  with  my 
hands,  and  so  worked  myself  along  till  I  came  to  the 
extremity  of  the  walk,  fearing  every  moment  lest  a  wave 
should  come  and  sweep  me  away.  But  by  the  mercy 
of  God  I  came  safe  to  the  end  of  the  walk,  where  the 
round  tower  juts  out — you  mind,  Haymoss? — its  founda- 
tions being  struck  into  jagged  rocks  with  many  a  cleft 
in  between.  There  I  refuged  myself  till  the  night  came, 
beat  upon  by  the  waves  until  the  breath  was  well-nigh 
battered  out  of  my  body.  But  there,  a  drenched  mortal, 

165 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

I  clung  until  the  tempest  fell  to  a  calm,  and  in  the  dark- 
ness I  got  me  away  to  the  woods." 

"My  heart!  'twas  a  deed  of  daring  and  peril,"  said 
Turnpenny.  "But  list!  What  be  a-doing  down  yon- 
der?" 

The  silence  below  was  suddenly  broken  by  the  ringing 
sound  of  picks.  Men  were  apparently  at  work  on  the 
face  of  the  fort  nearest  the  observers.  The  laborers 
were  out  of  sight,  and  Copstone  confessed  himself  unable 
to  guess  what  their  task  might  be.  The  fort  seemed 
complete;  for  a  month  before  Copstone's  escape  the 
work  had  indeed  been  hurried  on  in  response  to  urgent 
orders  from  Cartagena,  where  the  governor  desired  more 
men  to  assist  in  his  own  defenses.  His  commands  re- 
sulted in  the  prisoners  being  treated  with  increased 
brutality,  and  Copstone  said  that  it  was  a  stock  joke 
with  the  Spanish  garrison  that  by  the  time  they  had 
done  with  the  captives  at  Porto  Aguila  there  would  be 
little  work  left  in  them. 

For  an  hour  or  more  the  three  men  stood  scanning 
the  fort  and  its  surroundings,  until  Dennis  felt  that 
every  detail  was  firmly  graven  upon  his  mind.  Then, 
as  they  had  a  long  journey  back  to  the  boat,  and  it  was 
desirable  that  they  should  reach  their  companions  before 
the  fall  of  night,  they  set  off  to  return  to  the  creek.  Cop- 
stone  knew  it  well;  under  his  guidance  the  others  took 
a  short  cut  through  the  forest,  that  saved  them,  he  said, 
more  than  a  mile,  and  the  short  tropical  twilight  had 

166 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

only  just  begun  when  they  arrived  at  the  canoe.  The 
maroons  had  not  been  disturbed  during  their  absence. 
One  of  the  Spaniards,  who  recognized  the  creek,  had 
tried  to  persuade  the  natives  to  set  them  at  liberty, 
promising  them  a  rich  reward.  But  they  had  no  faith 
in  him  or  any  of  his  race,  and  their  answer  was  to  make 
his  bonds  more  secure. 

Knowing  that  they  were  several  leagues  from  the 
fort,  with  a  long  wooded  hill  between  them,  the  sailors 
agreed  that  it  would  be  safe  to  kindle  a  fire  on  shore, 
beside  which  they  might  camp  for  the  night  without 
molestation  by  insects.  But  they  had  little  sleep.  The 
three  sat  long  over  the  fire,  Copstone  relating  incidents 
in  his  prison  life .  that  made  the  blood  of  his  hearers 
boil  with  rage  and  indignation.  With  the  good  food 
given  him  from  the  stock  they  had  brought,  and  the 
companionship  of  his  countrymen,  he  had  already  be- 
come a  very  different  being  from  the  famished  solitary 
creature  they  had  met  in  the  forest;  and  when,  fired 
with  passionate  hatred  of  the  Spanish  oppressors  and 
with  pity  for  their  hapless  prisoners,  Dennis  and  Turn- 
penny vowed  that  they  would  go  through  with  their 
enterprise,  no  matter  at  what  cost,  Copstone  declared 
himself  heart  and  soul  with  them,  and  only  longed  for 
the  moment  of  action  to  come. 

But  it  was  not  enough  to  be  full  of  zeal.  The  great- 
est courage  and  determination  would  not  suffice  alone 
to  achieve  their  object. 

167 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"We  are  but  ten  against  fifty,"  said  Dennis,  "and 
one  of  the  ten  a  fat  negro  whom  the  sight  of  a  bare 
blade  would  cause  to  shake  like  a  jelly." 

"Leave  him  out,  sir,"  said  Turnpenny.  "He  would 
squeal  like  a  stuck  pig  if  his  finger  were  pinched." 

"There  are  but  nine  of  us,  then,  and  what  can  nine  do 
against  fifty?" 

"If  all  the  nine  were  men  of  Devon  like  Tom  Cop- 
stone  and  me,"  said  Turnpenny,  "we  would  face  fifty 
don  Spaniards  and  beat  'em  too.  But  you  can't  make  a 
silk  purse  out  of  a  sow's  ear,  as  the  saying  is,  and  you 
can't  turn  a  negro  or  maroon  into  a  true  fighting  man 
that  will  never  say  die.  Men  of  their  sort  can  not  play 
a  losing  game,  though  they  be  full  of  courage  if  things 
go  well  with  them." 

"I  fear  me  even  nine  men  of  Devon  couldn't  fight  a 
pitched  battle  against  five  times  their  number,  whether 
Spaniards  or  other.  But  'tis  not  my  purpose  to  approach 
the  walls  with  a  trumpet  and  deliver  a  defiance.  Our 
only  chance  is  by  surprising  the  fort  in  the  darkness, 
and  so  take  them  at  a  disadvantage.  How  stands  it 
then,  Amos?" 

"Why,  sir,  it  stands  clean  topsy-versy,  which  is  to 
say  it  is  by  no  means  possible.  The  walls,  as  you  did 
yourself  see,  be  too  high  to  leap  over,  and  the  gate  be 
shut  and  bolted  and  barricaded  by  night." 

"But  is  it  watched  ?" 

"That  I  know  not.    Do  'ee  know,  Tom?" 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

"Nay;  afore  dark  all  the  prisoners  be  thrust  into  the 
dungeons,  and  kept  fast  in  ward  until  morning  light." 

"And  do  they  set  a  guard  over  the  dungeons  ?"  inquired 
Dennis. 

"Not  as  I  know,  sir.  What  would  be  the  good?  The 
doors  be  strong  and  clamped  with  iron ;  the  guard-house 
be  just  above ;  and  we  was  all  so  worn  with  toil  and  so 
sick  at  heart  that  nary  one  of  us  ever  had  the  spirit  to 
attempt  a  sally.  When  they  had  us  fast  in  the  dungeons, 
there  they  might  leave  us,  with  never  a  fear  but  we 
would  be  safe  bound." 

"Methinks  that  same  security  would  forbid  them  to 
keep  a  watch  seawards.  The  sea  washes  the  north  side 
of  the  fort,  you  said  ?" 

"Ay,  sir,  and  even  at  high  tide  there  is  no  draft  for 
a  vessel  of  more  than  twenty  tons  burden,  so  they  need 
fear  no  attack  thence.  True,  they  might  keep  a  watch 
on  the  harbor  when  a  vessel  lies  there;  but  'tis  years 
since  any  enemy  has  appeared,  and  with  the  dons  'tis 
out  of  sight  out  of  mind,  I  trow." 

"Well,  does  not  that  favor  us  ?  Grant  we  can  not  scale 
the  walls,  nor  force  the  gate,  we  may  still  approach  the 
fort  from  the  sea  by  night,  without  risk  of  being  dis- 
covered, and  that  is  the  very  thing  we  must  do.  This 
night  is  too  far  spent  for  us  to  make  any  attempt  in 
that  quarter.  We  must  possess  our  souls  in  patience 
for  yet  another  day,  and  truly  that  is  not  amiss,  for  it 
will  give  us  leisure  to  spy  once  more  on  the  fort. 

160 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Think  you  'tis  possible  to  come  where  we  may  view  the 
north  side?" 

"There  is  but  one  way :  to  make  a  circuit  as  we  lately 
did,  and  go  farther  through  the  woods,  and  creep  down 
at  dusk  to  the  rocks,  when  the  work  for  the  day  is  over 
and  we  are  not  like  to  be  seen  by  the  Spaniards  who 
keep  ward  over  the  fishers." 

"That  is  what  we  will  do,  then.  And  now,  since  we 
know  not  what  the  day  may  bring  forth  to  try  our 
strength,  let  us  get  what  sleep  we  can,  and  so  fortify 
ourselves." 

But  for  many  hours  Dennis  lay  awake,  thinking  over 
the  next  day's  doings.  Up  with  the  dawn,  he  set  the 
maroons  to  cut  from  the  trees  a  number  of  light,  tough 
poles,  and  these  Copstone  and  Turnpenny,  with  seamen's 
skill,  quickly  fashioned  into  a  rough  but  serviceable 
ladder.  It  was  made  to  taper  from  bottom  to  top  in 
three  sections,  the  first  seven  feet  long,  the  second  five 
feet,  and  the  last,  four.  The  first  and  second  were  lashed 
together  with  some  spare  rope  brought  in  the  canoe, 
but  the  supply  gave  out  when  this  was  done,  and  Dennis 
was  at  a  loss  for  material  to  fasten  the  second  and 
third  sections  together.  The  head  man  of  the  maroons 
speedily  made  good  the  deficiency.  Going  into  the 
forest,  he  soon  returned  with  long,  pliable  tendrils  of  a 
creeper  called  bejuca  that  grew  plentifully  among  the 
undergrowth,  and  these  when  cut  into  short  lengths 
formed  lashings  as  strong  as  could  be  desired. 

170 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

The  greater  part  of  the  morning  was  spent  in  con- 
structing and  testing  the  ladder.  After  the  midday  meal 
Dennis  and  the  sailors  again  made  their  way  through 
the  forest  to  their  former  place  of  espial,  waited  until 
they  saw  the  canoes  return  with  the  pearl-fishers,  and 
then,  in  the  late  afternoon,  crept  down  the  hillside  west- 
ward of  the  fort  until  they  came  to  the  rocks  on  the 
shore.  From  their  new  position  they  were  able  to  glance 
along  the  northern  wall  of  the  fort.  The  tide  was  on 
the  turn,  and  it  was  clear  from  the  masses  of  seaweed 
and  the  water-worn  appearance  of  the  rocks  on  which 
the  wall  was  built  that  at  high  water  the  base  of  the 
escarpment  would  be  washed  by  the  waves,  as  Copstone 
had  said.  Having  formed  a  careful  mental  picture  of 
the  place,  Dennis  gave  the  word  for  return,  and  they 
reached  their  camping-ground  just  before  dark,  as  on 
the  previous  evening. 

Arrangements  were  at  once  made  for  their  expedi- 
tion. Turnpenny  estimated  that  the  distance  by  water 
from  the  mouth  of  the  creek  to  the  fort  was  about  ten 
miles.  It  was  desirable  to  start  early  if  the  paddlers 
were  not  to  be  overtired  when  the  serious  work  of  the 
night  began.  Dennis  was  in  some  doubt  what  to  do  with 
the  prisoners,  but  after  consultation  with  the  sailors  he 
decided  to  leave  them  behind  in  the  charge  of  the  cook 
and  one  of  the  maroons.  He  deplored  the  necessity  of 
thus  diminishing  his  little  party,  but  it  was  clearly  im- 
possible to  trust  the  guardianship  of  the  prisoners  to 

171 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Baltizar  alone.  That  flabby  and  chicken-hearted  negro 
was  desperately  afraid  of  being  left.  He  feared  the 
prisoners,  although  they  were  securely  pinioned;  still 
more  he  feared  the  wild  beasts  of  the  forest  Turn- 
penny "gave  him  a  piece  of  his  mind,"  as  he  said,  and  his 
language  was  none  the  less  forcible  because  he  eked  out 
his  scanty  vocabulary  of  Spanish  with  racy  expressions  in 
his  own  vernacular.  He  called  Baltizar  a  slack-twisted 
wollypate,  a  wambling  dumbledore,  an  ell-and-a-half 
of  moldered  dough,  mingling  with  his  expletives  an 
instruction  to  keep  up  the  fire  if  he  wished  to  scare 
the  beasts  away,  and  a  warning  that  the  Spaniards,  if  they 
were  allowed  to  escape,  would  certainly  kill  him  first. 
And  to  guard  against  the  danger  that  the  prisoners 
might  work  upon  his  fears  and  persuade  him  to  loose 
their  bonds,  the  maroon  chosen  to  remain  with  him  was 
told,  in  his  hearing,  that  if  he  had  any  conversation  with 
the  two  men  he  was- instantly  to  be  knocked  on  the  head. 
Watching  the  negro's  expression,  Dennis  felt  pretty  sure 
that  he  would  prove  a  most  zealous  jailer. 

The  night  was  still  young,  the  moon  had  not  yet  risen, 
when  the  canoe  floated  silently  seaward  down  the  creek. 
The  little  party  of  three  white  men  and  five  maroons 
was  not  hilarious;  every  man  knew  that  he  had  taken 
his  life  in  his  hands.  But  neither  were  they  down- 
hearted, for  seven  of  them  had  the  recollection  of  a 
night  adventure  which  had  wonderfully  succeeded — 
against  great  odds;  and  though  the  odds  this  time  were 

172 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

immeasurably  in  favor  of  the  enemy,  and  the  task  was 
infinitely  more  difficult,  the  very  magnitude  of  the  task 
they  had  set  themselves  fired  them  with  eagerness  and 
hope. 

The  sections  of  the  ladder  had  been  unlashed,  and 
were  safely  bestowed,  with  the  rope  and  the  tendrils, 
in  the  sides  of  the  canoe.  In  his  ignorance  of  the  coast 
Dennis  ordered  the  paddlers  to  put  some  distance  out 
to  sea  before  heading  the  canoe  westward,  so  as  tCT  avoid 
any  rocks  or  shoals  that  might  lie  in  wait  for  the  frail 
craft.  The  wind  was  northeast,  and  as  there  was  only 
the  faint  illumination  of  the  stars  the  sail  was  run  up 
during  the  first  part  of  the  voyage.  But  when  they 
rounded  the  headland  that  lay  between  the  creek  and 
the  fort,  Turnpenny  took  in  the  sail,  lest  by  some  unlucky 
chance  they  should  be  observed  from  the  shore,  and 
bade  the  maroons  paddle  slowly,  for  they  wished  to  arrive 
at  the  fort  when  the  tide  was  high,  a  little  before  dawn. 

Slowly  as  they  paddled,  however,  the  fort  loomed  up 
on  the  shore  a  good  hour  before  they  had  intended  to 
draw  in.  None  of  the  party  had  any  means  of  telling 
the  time,  but  Turnpenny,  experienced  in  reading  the 
heavens  on  many  a  silent  night  on  the  deep,  guessed 
it  pretty  accurately  by  the  horn  of  the  moon  just  peering 
above  the  horizon.  To  delay  their  arrival  a  little,  Dennis 
ordered  the  men  to  rest  on  their  oars,  and  for  an  hour 
the  canoe  rocked  gently  on  the  swelling  tide.  The  pause 
would  have  been  even  longer  had  not  Dennis  perceived 

J73 


that  the  inaction  bred  a  certain  nervous  restlessness  in 
the  maroons — an  ill  mood  in  which  to  face  the  coming 
ordeal. 

At  last,  shortly  after  four  in  the  morning,  the  nose 
of  the  canoe  was  turned  toward  the  fort,  and  the  vessel 
crept  in  dead  silence  toward  the  line  of  white  foam  that 
showed  where  the  tide  was  lapping  the  wall.  It  was  still 
half  a  musket-shot  distant  when  its  progress  was  ar- 
rested with  a  suddenness  that  threw  the  paddlers  heavily 
forward.  Recovering  themselves,  they  backed  water 
lustily,  but  without  avail;  the  canoe  was  fast  on  a  rock. 
Instantly  three  of  the  men  slipped  gently  overboard  to 
lighten  the  vessel,  kicking  their  legs  busily  to  ward  off 
any  ground  sharks  that  might  be  adventuring  in  the 
neighborhood.  In  a  few  moments  the  canoe  slid  off 
the  rock,  the  men  clambered  back  to  their  places,  and 
the  paddling  was  resumed.  But  it  was  soon  discovered 
that  the  shock  had  torn  a  hole  in  the  vessel's  side;  she 
was  filling  fast;  and  by  the  time  she  came  beneath  the 
wall  of  the  fort  she  was  well-nigh  waterlogged.  Not 
a  man  of  the  party  ventured  to  speak  a  word ;  but  from 
the  glances  they  gave  one  another  it  was  clear  that  they 
realized  what  the  accident  meant  for  them.  Nothing 
but  complete  success  could  now  save  them,  for  if  the 
attempt  on  the  fort  failed,  it  would  certainly  be  impossible 
to  escape  on  this  leaking  vessel,  and  they  must  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  their  enemies. 

One  after  another  they  quietly  left  the  canoe,  carrying 

174 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

the  climbing  apparatus,  and  their  calivers  and  ammuni- 
tion, which  had  fortunately  lain  on  the  raised  stern  of 
the  vessel  and  had  escaped  a  wetting.  They  found  them- 
selves on  the  rocks,  in  two  or  three  feet  of  water.  Turn- 
penny and  Copstone  gave  their  weapons  into  the  charge 
of  two  of  the  maroons  while  they  carefully  lashed  the 
two  longer  sections  of  the  ladder  together.  Meanwhile 
Dennis  was  scanning  the  wall  above  him  with  the  object 
of  finding  a  suitable  spot  against  which  to  plant  the  lad- 
der. In  spite  of  Copstone's  belief  that  the  fort  was  not 
sentineled,  Dennis  had  taken  the  precaution  to  land  a 
little  to  the  west  of  the  tower  at  the  angle,  thinking  that 
the  sentry,  if  one  were  posted  there,  would  probably  be 
taking  shelter  under  the  eastern  parapet.  But  so  far  as 
he  could  see  in  the  dim  light,  the  line  of  the  wall  was 
unbroken. 

At  the  top,  however,  a  battlement  slightly  overhung 
it.  To  Dennis,  gazing  up,  this  battlement  seemed  terribly 
far  off,  and  his  heart  sank  as  he  felt  that  the  ladder 
would  certainly  not  be  long  enough.  But  it  was  possible 
that  the  apparent  height  was  deceptive;  at  any  rate,  the 
attempt  must  be  made.  Accordingly  Turnpenny  and 
Copstone,  as  he  had  previously  arranged  with  them, 
planted  the  ladder  beneath  the  wall  while  Dennis 
mounted.  The  first  steps  were  easy,  but  when  he  came 
near  the  top  he  was  seized  with  a  momentary  dizziness 
and  had  to  stop  before  he  ventured  to  take  another  up- 
ward step.  He  climbed  very  slowly;  he  was  now  close 

175 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

against  the  wall,  with  nothing  to  cling  to,  and  he  main- 
tained his  balance  only  by  pressing  forward  until  he  was 
almost  flat  against  the  smooth  surface.  He  reached  the 
last  rung ;  it  was  impossible  to  ascend  another  inch ;  and 
the  top  of  the  wall  was  still,  it  appeared,  at  least  twelve 
feet  above  him.  Even  if  the  third  section  of  the  ladder 
was  added,  the  coping  would  be  still  utterly  beyond  his 
reach. 

It  was  a  position  in  which  many  a  bold  fellow  might 
have  despaired,  and,  for  a  little,  Dennis  did  feel  dismay 
and  a  touch  of  compunction  for  having  brought  the  men 
below  into  what  appeared  to  be  a  hopeless  case.  But 
it  is  such  moments  as  these  that  prove  the  grit  of  a 
man's  character.  Dennis  was  no  weakling,  and  as  he 
stood  and  leaned  against  that  wall,  shrouded  by  the 
night,  he  set  his  teeth  and  vowed  that  by  hook  or  crook 
he  would  ere  long  be  upon  the  other  side. 

He  looked  up  and  around,  to  see  if  there  were  any 
notches  or  seams  by  means  of  which  he  could  scale  the 
wall.  The  moon  was  creeping  round  the  sky,  and  now 
threw  a  little  more  light  on  the  scene.  Letting  his  eye 
travel  slowly  over  every  foot  of  the  surface  from  left 
to  right,  he  suddenly  caught  sight  of  what  seemed  to  be 
a  hole  in  the  wall,  some  distance  to  his  right,  several 
feet  above  him,  and  a  yard  or  so  below  the  battlement. 
It  flashed  upon  him  that  this  must  be  a  gun  embrasure ; 
was  it  possible,  he  wondered,  to  make  his  way  in  by 
that  ?  Carefully  descending  the  ladder,  he  told  the  sailors 

176 


BENEATH  THE  WALLS 

in  a  whisper  what  he  proposed;  they  quickly  lashed  on 
the  last  section,  and  shifted  the  ladder  until  it  stood 
immediately  below  the  dark  patch  which  at  this  distance 
the  embrasure  appeared  to  be.  Then  Dennis  mounted 
again. 

Once  more  he  was  disappointed.  At  the  imminent 
risk  of  falling  backward  he  crept  up  to  the  highest  point, 
but  even  then  he  found  he  could  but  just  touch  the  lower 
edge  of  the  hole.  He  had  not  sufficient  grip  on  the  smooth 
sill  of  it  to  pull  himself  up;  he  could  not  raise  himself 
high  enough  to  peep  through.  He  wondered  whether 
Copstone,  who  stood  nearly  a  head  taller,  would  have 
better  success ;  but  remembering  the  man's  privations  he 
thought  it  scarcely  possible  that  he  would  have  nerve 
enough  to  mount  on  this  frail  ladder,  which  bent  dan- 
gerously beneath  his  weight  now  that  the  last  section 
was  added,  without  becoming  dizzy  and  toppling  down. 
Was  there  any  conceivable  manner  in  which  the  ladder 
could  be  still  farther  lengthened? 

Down  he  crept  again  and  held  another  whispered 
consultation  with  the  two  men.  At  first  neither  was  able 
to  make  a  suggestion.  They  stood  looking  at  one  another 
in  perplexity.  Then  suddenly  Turnpenny,  forgetting 
himself  in  his  excitement,  uttered  an  exclamation  in  a 
tone  which  sent  a  shiver  down  Dennis'  back. 

"Hush,  man!"  said  Dennis  in  a  warning  whisper. 
"What  is  it?" 

"Ah,  I  must  talk  gentle,"  said  Turnpenny.  "Of  a 

177 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

sudden  I  thought  of  muscles  and  sinews,  and  the  power 
of  a  strong  back.  Me  and  the  head  man  of  the  maroons 
— not  so  strong  as  me,  to  be  sure,  but  yet  with  mighty 
shoulders  of  his  own — me  and  him  betwixt  us  can  raise 
the  ladder  aloft,  and  hold  it  firm  while  you  mount,  and 
then  without  doubt  you'll  be  high  enough  to  peep  through 
the  port-hole  and  see  all  that  may  be  seen." 

"Art  sure  you  can  do  it,  Amos  ?"  asked  Dennis  eagerly. 

"Why,  sir,  look  at  this !"  he  returned,  bending  his  arm 
until  the  muscle  showed  like  a  globe  of  iron. 

Without  more  ado  Turnpenny  and  the  maroon  hoisted 
the  ladder,  and,  one  on  either  side  of  it,  supported  it 
with  their  shoulders.  Then  Dennis  climbed  on  to  Cop- 
stone's  back,  thence  to  the  ladder,  and  began  the  ascent. 
The  ladder  was  more  tremulous  than  ever,  and  Dennis 
felt  a  flutter  at  the  heart  as  he  came  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  top.  But  the  stalwarts  below  did  not  yield  an 
inch,  and  Dennis  crawled  up  and  up  until  at  length 
his  head  came  to  the  level  of  the  embrasure,  and  with 
one  more  step  he  found  himself  able  to  rest  his  arms  in 
it.  To  his  joy  the  embrasure  was  empty;  the  gun  had 
evidently  been  withdrawn;  and  taking  this  as  a  good 
omen — surely  it  indicated  great  security  on  the  part  of 
the  garrison! — he  hoisted  himself  up  and  wriggled  into 
the  aperture.  Then,  breathless,  with  a  hurrying  pulse, 
he  crouched  to  consider  his  next  move. 


178 


CHAPTER   XIII 

THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

During  the  morning,  while  the  ladder  was  being  made, 
Dennis  had  talked  over  with  the  sailors  the  plan  of  action 
he  proposed  to  adopt  should  they  succeed  in  entering 
the  fort  undetected.  The  first  thing  was  to  silence  the 
sentry,  if  sentry  there  was.  It  was  quite  clear,  from 
the  fact  of  having  been  undisturbed  hitherto,  that  no 
careful  lookout  was  kept ;  but  Dennis  did  not  forget  Cop- 
stone's  suggestion  that  a  sentry  might  be  napping  behind 
the  parapet,  and  it  must  be  his  first  business  to  assure 
himself  on  this  point  before  giving  the  signal  for  his 
companions  to  make  the  ascent. 

He  crouched  motionless  in  the  embrasure,  listening. 
It  had  been  pierced  for  only  a  short  gun — a  minion  or 
falconet,  perhaps ;  and  doubtless  within  three  feet  of  him 
was  a  stone  walk  extending  for  the  whole  length  of  the 
wall.  All  was  still;  there  was  not  a  sound  to  show 
that,  within  the  inclosure,  near  a  hundred  beings  were 
crowded,  masters  and  slaves.  But  looking  through  the 
embrasure  Dennis  saw  a  few  lights  twinkling  in  the 
center  of  the  fort,  and  he  guessed  that  some  at  least 
of  the  enemy  were  awake.  However  great  their  security, 

179 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

it  had  seemed  incredible  to  him  that  the  place  should 
be  left  wholly  unguarded,  even  if  only  to  provide  against 
turbulence  on  the  part  of  the  slaves. 

After  a  few  moments  Dennis  ventured  to  crawl  toward 
the  inner  end  of  the  embrasure,  where  he  might  get  a 
view  of  the  whole  inclosure.  The  thin  light  of  the 
moon  fell  on  the  brightly  painted  walls  of  the  command- 
ant's house  in  the  center;  there  was  no  light  in  the 
windows;  no  doubt  the  senor  capitan  was  fast  asleep. 
But  a  beam  of  light  came  from  a  building  somewhat 
to  the  right;  this  was  presumably  the  officers'  quarters. 
The  huts  along  the  western  wall,  in  which  the  slaves 
slept,  were  all  in  darkness.  On  the  farther  side  of  the 
inclosure,  in  the  round  tower  beneath  which  the  prisoners 
were  confined,  another  light  shone  forth;  somebody  was 
awake  there.  But  not  a  sound  stirred  the  heavy,  moist 
air  of  the  tropical  night.  If  there  were  sentries  upon 
the  walls,  they  were  certainly  not  pacing  up  and  down. 

Waiting  another  minute  or  two,  Dennis  ventured  to 
peep  round  the  corner  of  the  embrasure.  He  could 
scan  the  whole  length  of  the  walk  from  tower  to  tower; 
no  sentry  was  in  sight,  but  he  saw  the  gun  below  him, 
a  little  to  his  right.  Taking  courage  from  the  silence, 
he  slipped  out  of  the  hole,  and  groped  his  way  on  bare 
feet  toward  the  tower  at  the  northeast  angle.  Every 
now  and  again  he  paused  to  listen,  and  at  last,  when 
he  came  within  a  few  yards  of  the  tower,  he  heard  a 
sound  of  deep,  regular  breathing  hard  by.  Evidently 

180 


some  one  was  asleep.  He  stole  along  by  the  parapet 
in  the  deep  shadow  cast  by  the  moon,  until  he  saw, 
huddled  in  the  corner  between  the  tower  and  the  wall, 
the  form  of  a  man.  He  halted  to  consider.  Should  he 
go  forward  and  pounce  on  the  sentry,  risking  the  sound 
of  a  struggle  if  he  attempted  to  gag  him,  or  a  cry  if 
he  struck  at  him  with  his  sword  and  failed  to  kill  him. 
outright?  It  went  against  the  grain  to  slay  a  sleeping 
man,  and  the  sentry  was  apparently  so  fast  asleep  that 
it  seemed  possible  for  the  rest  of  the  party  to  climb 
up  without  disturbing  him. 

But  there  might  be  a  sentry  at  the  other  end.  Leaving 
the  man  in  peace,  Dennis  stole  back  again,  went  on 
hands  and  knees  where  the  gun  necessitated  his  coming 
for  a  moment  into  the  moonlight,  then  rose  and  groped 
his  way  along  beneath  the  parapet  as  before.  There  was 
no  sentinel,  asleep  or  awake,  in  this  direction.  With 
more  confidence  now  in  the  chances  of  a  safe  ascent, 
he  returned  once  more  to  the  embrasure,  and,  taking 
from  his  pocket  a  thin  piece  of  creeper,  he  paid  this 
out  through  the  aperture.  He  soon  felt  a  slight  tug 
from  below.  He  waited  until  he  felt  a  second  tug,  then 
gently  pulled  the  creeper  toward  him.  To  the  end  of 
it  a  stout  line  was  attached — a  part  of  his  salvage  from 
the  wreck  of  the  Maid  Marian.  This  he  quickly  secured 
to  the  heavy  gun,  and  having  strained  on  the  rope  to 
convince  himself  that  the  fastening  would  hold,  he  gave 
the  signal  by  another  tug  to  his  comrades  below. 

181 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Then  he  crawled  into  the  embrasure,  and,  leaning  out, 
saw  Amos  swarming  with  a  seaman's  nimbleness  up 
the  rope.  Giving  him  a  hand  when  he  came  within  reach, 
Dennis  helped  to  haul  him  into  the  embrasure. 

"What  about  the  calivers?"  he  whispered,  for  the 
sailor  had  come  up  unarmed,  lest  a  clank  of  steel  against 
the  wall  should  attract  attention. 

"We've  tied  'em  up  in  our  shirts,  sir.  Haul  on  the 
rope  and  we'll  have  'em  up  in  a  trice." 

The  bundle  was  quickly  raised  and  brought  into  the 
embrasure  without  a  sound. 

"There's  a  sentry  asleep  by  the  tower  yonder,"  whis- 
pered Dennis. 

"Did  'ee  not  kill  him?" 

"No;  you  could  not  kill  a  sleeping  man,  Amos?" 

"I  warrant  I  could,  though  I'd  liever  not.  But  we 
must  do  summat  with  the  knave." 

"He  sleeps  now." 

"Maybe,  but  any  moment  he  might  waken,  and  then 
t'ud  be  all  over  with  us.  A  sailor's  knot  and  a  mouth- 
ful of  shirt  will  make  all  snug." 

"Very  well.     We  must  go  quietly." 

Soft-footed  as  cats  they  stole  to  the  careless  sentinel, 
still  drawing  the  long,  regular  breath  of  placid  slumber. 
Suddenly  the  sound  changed  to  a  low,  choking  gurgle; 
Turnpenny  had  nimbly  slipped  a  strip  of  his  shirt  into 
the  man's  open  mouth.  In  two  minutes  he  lay  straight 
on  his  back,  his  arms  and  legs  firmly  bound  with  lengths 

182 


THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

of  the  flexible  tendril.  Then  the  two  intruders  moved 
swiftly  back  to  the  embrasure,  and  signaled  to  the  wait- 
ing men  that  it  was  safe  for  them  to  ascend. 

Tom  Copstone  and  two  of  the  maroons  came  up  in 
turn.  Then  there  was  a  hitch.  The  remaining  three 
men  stood  helpless  on  the  rocks,  afraid  to  attempt  a  feat 
which  had  never  come  within  their  experience.  There 
was  a  moment's  delay;  then  Turnpenny  slipped  down 
the  rope,  hitched  a  loop  around  one  of  the  men,  abusing 
him  under  his  breath  as  a  good-for-nothing  landlubber, 
and  signaled  to  the  others  to  haul  him  up.  The  two 
others  were  brought  up  in  the  same  way,  not  without 
some  bumps  against  the  wall;  then  Turnpenny  again 
came  up  hand  over  hand,  and  the  little  party  of  eight 
stood  complete  beside  the  gun. 

"My  heart!  'tis  a  famous  doing!"  said  Turnpenny, 
mopping  his  sweating  brow.  "  'You  and  me,  Haymoss,' 
as  I  heard  in  my  dream." 

The  next  step  also  had  been  prearranged.  Copstone, 
as  the  man  most  familiar  with  the  fort  inclosure,  was  to 
lead  four  of  the  maroons  to  the  quarters  of  the  garrison, 
dash  into  the  outer  room  where  the  firearms  would  prob- 
ably be  kept,  and  hold  the  Spaniards  in  play  while  Dennis 
and  his  companions  made  a  rush  for  the  round  tower 
beneath  which  were  the  dungeons.  The  Spaniards  would 
no  doubt  be  asleep  in  the  inner  room,  and,  suddenly  dis- 
turbed from  their  slumbers,  they  might  be  expected  to 
hesitate  before  attacking  five  well-armed  men  who  stood 

183 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

guard  over  their  muskets.  It  was  scarcely  likely  that 
more  than  one  or  two  would  at  this  dead  hour  of  night 
be  in  the  outer  room  where  the  light  was,  and  Copstone 
and  his  men  might  be  safely  trusted  to  account  for  them. 

"You  must  give  us  a  minute,  Tom,"  said  Amos,  "see- 
ing that  we  have  the  greater  way  to  go." 

"Ay,  indeed,"  said  Dennis,  "our  entrances  should  fall 
together.  You  know  the  way,  Amos?" 

"Ay,  sure,  and  have  good  reason  to." 

"Well,  then,  Copstone  will  wait  until  we  have  had 
time  to  reach  the  tower,  then  he  will  perform  his  part." 

This  conversation  had  passed  in  whispers.  All  having 
been  arranged,  they  crept  down  the  steps  from  the 
battlement  to  the  courtyard,  and  while  Copstone  and 
his  four  dusky  companions  stood  in  the  shadow  of  the 
stairway,  the  other  three  with  rapid,  noiseless  steps  ran 
toward  the  light  in  the  farther  corner.  The  courtyard 
was  covered  with  grass,  except  for  a  small,  stone-paved 
space  around  the  buildings  in  the  center;  and  Turn- 
penny, who  was  leading,  kept  to  the  grass,  even  though 
their  bare  feet  might  make  no  sound  on  the  stones. 

But  they  had  covered  little  more  than  a  third  of  the 
distance,  and  had  indeed  not  yet  come  level  with  the 
buildings,  when  all  three  were  suddenly  startled  by  a 
low,  deep  growl  on  the  right,  from  the  neighborhood 
of  the  commandant's  house. 

"God-a-mercy,  I  had  forgot  the  captain's  dog!"  whis- 
pered Turnpenny. 

184 


THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

They  had  instinctively  halted  and  turned  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sound.  A  dark  form,  still  growling,  was 
rushing  over  the  stone  court  toward  them.  It  made 
direct  for  Turnpenny.  The  sailor  threw  up  his  left  hand 
to  ward  off  the  attack,  but  the  beast  was  so  large,  and 
came  against  him  with  such  momentum,  that  he  reeled 
under  the  impact,  and  the  sword  he  held  raised  in  his 
right  hand  was  almost  wrenched  from  his  grasp.  The 
expedition  seemed  to  be  endangered  by  this  unexpected 
attack,  and  Dennis  was  swinging  forward  to  his  com- 
rade's assistance  when  he  saw  that  no  help  was  needed. 
The  hound  had  impaled  itself  on  Turnpenny's  sword. 
Amos  gasped  with  relief  as  he  shook  himself  free;  then 
whispering,  "They'll  have  heard  the  beast's  growls,"  he 
set  off  at  full  speed  for  the  roundhouse,  the  two  others 
following  close  at  his  heels. 

They  dashed  straight  for  the  doorway,  which  was 
faintly  lit  by  a  light  in  the  guard-room  to  the  right  of 
the  passage.  In  a  quarter-minute  they  were  inside;  five 
seconds  more  brought  them  to  the  door  of  the  room, 
which  they  reached  just  as  three  Spaniards  were  leaving 
the  table  at  which  they  had  been  dicing,  curious,  no  doubt, 
to  discover  the  cause  of  the  dog's  uneasiness.  They 
were  unarmed;  their  weapons  indeed  lay  on  a  bench 
at  the  farther  end  of  the  room ;  clearly  the  dog's  growls 
had  caused  them  no  real  alarm,  and  no  other  sounds 
could  have  reached  them.  Consequently  they  stood  stock- 
still,  petrified  with  amazement  when  they  saw  two  white 

185 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

men  and  a  maroon  with  naked  swords  rush  almost  noise- 
lessly into  the  room. 

"Surrender,  villains !"  cried  Amos,  pointing  his  sword 
full  at  the  first  man's  throat. 

His  tone,  backed  by  the  sight  of  the  three  blades, 
helped  to  clear  their  scattered  wits.  With  fine  presence 
of  mind  the  man  farthest  from  the  door  snatched  a  goblet 
from  the  table  and  hurled  it  straight  at  Turnpenny, 
stooping  then  to  seize  his  sword  that  lay  on  the  bench 
behind.  But  he  had  taken  only  a  single  step  when  the 
maroon,  with  a  cry  of  fury,  flung  himself  clean  across 
the  table,  and  drove  his  weapon  through  the  man's  body. 
The  other  two,  less  quick-witted  and  less  courageous 
than  their  hapless  comrade,  shrank  back  and  held  up 
their  hands,  crying  aloud  for  mercy. 

"Down  on  your  knees,  dogs!"  shouted  Turnpenny. 
"To  the  passage,  Juan !"  he  said  to  the  maroon.  "Stand 
by  the  door  opposite." 

While  Amos  unstrung  his  calivers  and  lit  his  match, 
Dennis  swept  the  Spaniards'  weapons  from  the  bench 
out  of  their  reach.  Scarcely  had  this  been  done  when 
the  door  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  passage  opened, 
showing  a  room  dimly  lighted  by  a  candle-lamp,  and 
eight  or  ten  Spaniards  who  had  been  roused  from  sleep 
by  the  noise. 

"What  is  this?"  cried  one  of  them,  fumbling  with  his 
sword  as  he  came  to  the  door. 

Juan,  the  maroon,  stood  on  no  ceremony,  but  promptly 

186 


THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

transfixed  him,  and  he  fell  like  a  log  across  the  doorway. 
His  comrades  immediately  recoiled  in  panic;  but  were 
pushed  forward  by  the  men  in  the  rear  who  had  not 
seen  what  had  happened. 

"Stand,  you  villains!"  called  Turnpenny,  from  the 
opposite  doorway.  "I  will  shoot  any  man  of  you  that 
lifts  a  finger." 

"Shut  the  door!"  cried  one  of  the  men  behind. 

But  this  was  impossible;  the  door  opened  outwards, 
and  none  could  reach  it  without  stepping  over  the  body 
of  the  man  whom -the  maroon  had  killed.  They  well 
knew  that  the  first  who  ventured  across  the  threshold 
would  meet  with  the  same  fate,  and  every  man  of  them 
shrank  from  the  risk.  Dim  as  the  light  was,  Turnpenny 
recognized  the  features  of  men  under  whose  whips  he 
had  many  times  writhed. 

"Fling  down  your  sword,  Hernando !"  he  cried  to  the 
foremost  of  them.  The  man  hesitated.  "Down  with  it, 
or  you  are  a  dead  man !"  roared  the  seaman,  and  there 
v/as  an  accent  in  his  voice  that  boded  ill  for  the  Spaniard 
if  he  should  delay.  His  sword  fell  with  a  clatter  on 
the  stone  floor. 

"Now  yours,  Fernan,  and  yours,  Manuel,"  and  as 
these  obeyed  the  curt  command  the  rest  waited  no  bid- 
ding, but  cast  their  weapons  from  them  and  cried  for 
quarter. 

"Out  with  you,  into  the  guard-room!"  shouted  Turn- 
penny. "Have  a  care,  Juan ;  let  none  escape." 

187 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

The  big  maroon  stood  in  the  passage  with  his  back 
toward  the  outer  gate,  and  the  sight  of  his  ferocious 
look  and  his  formidable  sword  was  enough.  The  Span- 
iards tumbled  over  one  another  like  a  flock  of  sheep  as 
they  surged  into  the  room,  where  Dennis  stood  ready  to 
cut  down  any  who  attempted  resistance. 

"Ah,  'tis  you,  Jose,"  cried  Turnpenny,  following  the 
last  into  the  room.  "Where  are  your  keys  ?" 

The  warder  edged  away,  seeking  to  hide  behind  his 
comrades.  At  a  sign  from  Turnpenny  the  maroon 
sprang  after  him  and  hauled  him  back. 

"Your  keys,  rascal!"  cried  Turnpenny,  and  the  cold 
barrel  of  the  musket  within  an  inch  of  Jose's  ear  jogged 
his  memory. 

"Mercy!  I  will  fetch  them,"  he  said  hastily.  The 
maroon  followed  him  as  he  ran  back  into  the  room 
opposite,  and  in  a  few  seconds  he  returned  with  his  heavy 
bunch. 

"Lock  'em  in,  sir,"  said  Turnpenny,  handing  his  mus- 
ket to  Juan.  "I  be  going  with  this  villain  to  loose  the 
prisoners." 

He  caught  the  terrified  warder  by  the  shoulder  and 
pushed  him  into  the  passage,  where  he  turned  to  the 
right  toward  the  stairway  leading  to  the  dungeons.  Down 
he  bundled  him,  neck  and  crop,  and  forced  him  to  find 
the  key  among  his  bunch  and  throw  open  the  door. 

"  'Tis  me,  comrades,"  he  cried  jubilantly,  into  the  dark 
space ;  "  'tis  me,  your  old  comrade  Haymoss  Turnpenny, 

188 


THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

come  to  free  'ee  from  this  cursed  hole.  Be  you  there, 
Ned  Whiddon?" 

"Ay,  ay,"  came  the  amazed  answer. 

"And  you,  Hugh  Curder?" 

"Ay,  Haymoss,  here  I  be." 

"Come  out,  my  hearts.  Ah,  I  hear  the  chains  clanking 
on  your  poor  legs.  'Tis  not  for  long,  dear  comrades. 
Come  out;  this  villain  warder  will  ungyve  ye;  then  do 
the  same  with  the  rest  of  the  comrades  and  follow  up 
aloft.  We  have  arms  for  'ee  there,  dear  hearts.  God 
be  praised  you  be  alive!  Jose,  you  villain,  loose  their 
fetters.  Ned,  I  will  leave  him  with  'ee;  keep  an  eye  on 
him." 

Leaving  the  cowed  Spaniard  in  the  safe  hands  of 
Whiddon  and  Curder,  Turnpenny  hastened  back  to  re- 
join Dennis,  who  had  locked  the  door  upon  the  others, 
and  had  piled  their  arms  against  the  wall  of  the  passage. 
Then  the  three  rushed  out  into  the  open,  and  raced  at 
breakneck  pace  across  the  courtyard  to  the  main  build- 
ings, whence  came  the  sounds  of  desperate  conflict — 
shots,  cries  and  the  clash  of  steel. 

Copstone,  waiting  impatiently  with  the  four  maroons 
at  the  foot  of  the  wall  until  the  others  should  have 
reached  the  far  corner  of  the  inclosure,  heard  the  growl 
of  the  commandant's  dog,  and  guessed,  from  the  sudden 
silence  that  followed,  what  had  happened.  Instantly  he 
led  his  men  with  a  rush  toward  the  main  building,  where 
the  light  indicated  that  some  at  least  of  the  garrison 

189 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

were  awake.  They  reached  the  spot  just  as  the  door 
was  thrown  open  and  a  man  stepped  across  the  thresh- 
old, whistling  for  the  dog.  Copstone  sprang  upon  him, 
and  toppled  him  over,  and  was  then  dashing  past  him 
into  the  house  when  he  perceived  that  a  group  of  at 
least  half  a  dozen  Spaniards  were  coming  toward  the 
door,  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  the  scuffle.  Copstone 
sprang  back,  the  maroons  fired  their  calivers  into  the 
doorway;  groans  proclaimed  that  some  of  the  shots  had 
told ;  but  there  were  resolute  spirits  among  the  garrison ; 
in  a  few  seconds  they  came  pouring  out,  and,  catching 
sight  of  the  maroons,  evidently  believed  that  they  had 
nothing  worse  than  an  outbreak  of  the  native  laborers 
to  contend  with.  Shouting  with  fury,  they  pressed 
forward,  slashing  with  their  swords,  and  forced  the 
assailants  into  the  narrow  space  between  the  wall  of 
their  quarters  and  the  commandant's  house. 

When  Dennis  and  his  comrades  came  breathless  upon 
the  scene,  Copstone  and  his  party  were  hemmed  in  by 
a  crowd  of  infuriated  Spaniards  outnumbering  them  by 
seven  to  one.  The  Spaniards  had  had  no  time  to  light 
the  matches  for  their  muskets ;  the  maroons  had  had  no 
time  to  reload;  and  both  attacked  and  attackers  were 
laying  about  them  doughtily  with  their  swords.  What- 
ever the  timidity  of  the  maroons  in  captivity,  there  was 
no  doubt  about  their  courage  when  fighting  for  their 
lives  against  odds.  Aided  somewhat  by  darkness,  which 
made  it  difficult  to  distinguish  foe  from  friend,  they 

190 


THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

were  cutting  and  thrusting  vigorously  with  their  backs 
against  the  wall,  encouraged  by  the  voice  of  Copstone, 
who  mingled  with  English  words  of  cheer  a  few  Spanish 
exclamations  he  had  picked  up  during  his  imprisonment. 

But,  steadily  as  they  fought,  it  would  have  gone  ill 
with  them  had  not  the  arrival  of  Dennis  and  the  others 
caused  a  momentary  relaxation  of  the  pressure  upon 
them.  The  three  dashed  with  a  resounding  cheer  upon 
the  rear  of  the  Spaniards. 

"Stand  to  it,  my  hearts !"  bellowed  Turnpenny.  "You 
and  me,  Tom  Copstone,  you  and  me!" 

Three  Spaniards  fell  at  the  first  onset.  Before  the 
rest  had  recovered  from  their  surprise,  before  they  had 
any  idea  of  how  small  the  reinforcement  was,  three  more 
suffered  the  same  fate.  In  the  confusion,  Dennis  and 
his  men  dashed  right  through  the  cordon  and  ranged 
themselves  alongside  the  doughty  five.  Then  the  Span- 
iards, finding  that  their  rear  was  no  longer  attacked, 
realized  that  their  enemy  had  received  but  a  slight  ac- 
cession of  strength,  and  returned  to  the  fight  with 
redoubled  energy.  For  some  time  it  was  cut  and  thrust 
almost  at  random,  and  many  shrewd  blows  were  dealt 
on  both  sides.  So  sudden  and  surprising  had  the  attack 
been  that  the  Spaniards  had  had  no  time  to  collect  their 
wits  and  resort  to  strategy.  It  had  not  occurred  to  them 
to  get  at  the  rear  of  their  enemy  over  the  wall.  Again 
and  again  they  rushed  headlong  at  the  little  party;  but 
the  maroons  and  Copstone  had  taken  new  courage  from 

191 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  presence  of  Dennis  and  the  others.  Turnpenny  was 
in  the  center  of  the  line,  Dennis  at  the  extreme  right, 
Juan,  the  maroon,  at  the  left  next  to  Copstone.  Again 
and  again  they  flung  back  the  furious  assault,  and  ever 
and  anon  above  the  din  of  the  combat  rose  the  inspiriting 
battle-cry  of  Turnpenny,  "You  and  me,  Tom  Copstone, 
you  and  me!"  and  the  answering  shout,  "You  and  me, 
Haymoss;  good  cheer,  my  heart!" 

But  eight  men,  however  bold  and  stout-hearted,  could 
not  long  contend  with  an  enemy  at  least  four  times  their 
number.  Scarce  a  man  of  them  but  was  bleeding  from 
several  wounds.  The  exertions  and  excitements  of  the 
night  had  made  inroads  upon  their  strength  even  before 
the  fight  began,  while  the  Spaniards  were  at  no  such 
disadvantage;  some  of  them,  indeed,  had  risen  fresh 
from  sleep.  Gradually  the  blows  of  the  lesser  force 
weakened.  The  Spaniards  could  not  all  attack  them  at 
the  same  time,  so  confined  was  the  area  of  conflict;  but 
when  any  of  their  number  fell  out,  from  wounds  or 
fatigue,  there  were  new  men  to  take  their  places.  For 
the  others  there  was  no  such  relief.  Each  one  of  them 
had  to  meet  a  succession  of  Spaniards.  Dennis  felt  his 
strength  giving  way.  He  was  not  conscious  of  having 
been  wounded,  but  he  could  now  scarcely  hold  his  sword 
from  sheer  weariness.  And  he  felt  that  things  were 
going  badly  with  his  comrades.  Two  of  the  maroons 
at  his  left  had  fallen,  whether  killed  or  merely  wounded 
he  could  not  tell,  He  still  heard  the  ringing  voice  of 

192 


THE  TAKING  OF  FORT  AGUILA 

Turnpenny,  but  his  heart  sank  as  he  realized  that  in  a 
few  more  minutes  he,  at  any  rate,  would  no  longer  have 
the  force  to  respond. 

At  last,  when  he  felt  with  a  kind  of  frenzied  despair 
that  it  was  impossible  he  should  strike  another  blow, 
there  fell  upon  his  ears  a  new  sound  from  the  front — 
from  some  point  beyond  the  crowd  of  Spaniards.  Surely 
there  was  an  English  ring  in  those  cheers;  it  was  no 
mere  Spanish  yell.  It  was  coming  nearer,  swelling  into 
a  roar.  A  few  seconds  later,  the  ring  of  steel  by  which 
the  little  party  was  encircled  seemed  to  be  burst  asunder ; 
then  the  Spaniards  broke  and  scattered  in  all  directions, 
fleeing  helter-skelter  before  knives  and  swords  wielded 
with  the  terrible  might  of  vengeance  by  the  hands  of 
a  score  of  men  who  had  but  lately  lain  cowed  and 
crushed  in  their  dungeons.  Little  mercy  they  deserved, 
little  they  found.  Ned  Whiddon,  Hugh  Curder,  and 
many  another,  hunted  them  into  the  four  corners  of  the 
courtyard ;  the  tables  were  turned,  and  the  freed  prison- 
ers smote  and  spared  not. 


193 


CHAPTER   XIV 

VAE  VICTIS 

The  intention  of  Dennis  had  been  to  release  the  prison- 
ers and  then  make  for  the  bark  that  lay  alongside  the 
quay.  She  was  of  only  some  fifty  tons  burden ;  her  crew 
would  not  be  a  large  one ;  and  it  ought  to  be  a  compara- 
tively easy  matter  to  overpower  the  men  on  board  and 
warp  the  vessel  clear  before  the  discomfited  Spaniards 
could  recover  from  their  confusion  and  make  an  or- 
ganized attack. 

But  he  had  not  reckoned  on  the  rapidity  with  which 
events  had  moved,  and  the  impossibility  of  communi- 
cating his  design  to  the  men  who  had  been  released. 
They  had  scattered  in  all  directions  in  pursuit  of  the 
Spaniards ;  Copstone  and  the  maroons  were  carried  away 
by  the  lust  of  vengeance,  and,  wounded  as  they  were,  had 
rushed  away  with  the  rest;  and  Dennis  found  that  only 
Turnpenny  was  left  at  his  side. 

There  were  elements  of  peril  in  the  situation.  Some 
of  the  Spaniards  had  swarmed  over  the  wall  of  the 
officers'  quarters.  If  they  found  efficient  leadership  they 
might  yet  rally  and  prove  a  very  formidable  enemy. 
Dennis  and  the  seaman  held  a  hurried  consultation.  They 

194 


VAE  VICTIS 

were  unarmed  save  for  their  swords ;  they  had  left  their 
calivers  in  the  passage  of  the  round  tower,  and  the  weap- 
ons were  no  doubt  now  in  the  hands  of  two  of  the 
released  prisoners.  Adventurous  as  they  both  were, 
it  seemed  the  height  of  folly  and  rashness  to  attempt, 
they  two  alone,  to  cope  with  unknown  numbers  beyond 
the  wall.  While  they  were  still  perplexed  as  to  the  best 
course  to  follow,  they  heard  a  roar  and  a  crash  from  the 
direction  of  the  commandant's  house,  followed  by  a  babel 
of  cries.  Running  round,  they  found  that  the  maroons, 
headed  by  Copstone,  had  blown  open  the  door  of  the 
house,  and  were  hunting  through  it  in  the  darkness  for 
the  man  under  whose  authority  they  had  suffered  so 
many  grievous  wrongs.  There  were  only  four  rooms; 
it  was  the  work  of  a  few  minutes  to  ransack  them, 
thoroughly ;  not  a  trace  of  the  commandant  or  his  house- 
hold could  be  discovere3. 

"Be  jowned  if  they  haven't  stolen  a  march  on  us," 
cried  Turnpenny,  "and  made  for  the  harbor  first!" 

"Let  us  after  them  at  once,  then.  If  they  get  away 
ours  will  be  a  bad  case  indeed." 

Calling  to  the  half-dozen  men  who  were  at  hand, 
Turnpenny  led  the  way  at  a  great  pace  to  the  gate  in 
the  eastern  wall  of  the  fort.  It  was  locked.  Almost 
beside  himself  with  baffled  rage,  the  seaman  threw  his 
great  bulk  against  the  timbers ;  but  they  were  stout,  and 
even  his  weight  failed  to  force  the  lock. 

"Is  there  no  other  way  out?"  asked  Dennis. 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Not  as  I  knows  on.  Where  be  Tom  Copstone  ?  Hey, 
my  heart,  be  there  any  other  way  out  o'  this  yard?" 

"Ay,  there  be  a  postern  in  the  nor'east  tower." 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  before 
Dennis  dashed  toward  the  tower,  the  others  following 
him  with  a  rush.  The  door  at  the  foot  of  the  tower 
was  open;  he  sprang  up  the  spiral  stairway  three  steps 
at  a  time,  and  almost  broke  his  head  against  the  postern 
door,  that  opened  inward  and  blocked  the  way.  The 
dawn  was  bursting  in  the  eastern  sky,  and  Dennis  looked 
eagerly  out.  The  postern  faced  the  sea,  and  the  harbor 
and  quay  were  hidden  from  him  by  the  circumference 
of  the  tower,  but  he  spied  a  rope  ladder  dangling  from 
the  opening  to  the  narrow  footway  below.  It  was  clear 
that  the  commandant  and  his  party,  while  the  combat 
was  at  its  height,  had  slipped  out  of  the  house  and  made 
their  escape  by  this  exit. 

By  this  time  Turnpenny  and  half  a  dozen  others  were 
crowding  the  narrow  staircase. 

"They  have  made  for  the  bark/'  cried  the  seaman, 
"and  if  there  be  true  mariners  aboard  she'll  be  warped 
clear  and  out  to  sea." 

"She  is  not  there  yet.  We  have  one  chance.  Cop- 
stone,  run  back  to  the  gate;  blow  up  the  lock  and  lead 
as  many  of  your  comrades  as  you  can  find  hot-foot 
along  the  quay,  in  case  it  be  stifl  possible  to  seize  the 
vessel.  Amos,  can  we  train  the  fort  guns  on  the  mouth 
of  the  harbor?" 

196 


VAE  VICTIS 

"Ay,  sure,  and  I'll  do  it,  being  once  gunner's  mate 
aboard  the  Anne  Gallant!'  Amos  Turnpenny's  profes- 
sional pride  was  at  once  aroused. 

"And  I  can  aid  you;  God  be  praised  that  Sir  Martin 
practised  us  venturers  in  the  usage  of  ordnance  on  the 
Maid  Marian" 

He  slammed  to  the  postern  door,  freeing  the  stairway, 
and  rushed  up  to  the  narrow,  open  archway  leading  on 
to  the  battlements,  stumbling  in  the  dim  light  over  the 
prostrate  body  of  the  gagged  sentry  as  he  leaped  through. 
Vaulting  on  to  the  parapet,  he  looked  down  at  the  quay 
to  see  how  the  men  were  faring.  A  cry  of  bitter  morti- 
fication burst  from  his  lips  as  he  saw  the  bark  slowly 
moving  toward  the  sea.  Her  sails  were  hoisted  on  the 
mainmast,  and  filling  with  the  light  westerly  breeze;  a 
group  of  officers,  among  whom  the  commandant  was 
easily  distinguished,  crowded  her  deck,  in  addition  to  the 
native  crew ;  and  there  was  not  one  of  Dennis'  party  or 
the  prisoners  in  sight. 

But  at  that  moment  there  was  a  loud  explosion ;  the 
gate  fell  with  a  crash;  and  a  crowd  of  men,  white  and 
black,  headed  by  Copstone,  rushed  out  on  to  the  quay. 
They  roared  with  fury  when  they  saw  that  they  were 
too  late.  Those  of  them  who  had  loaded  calivers  ran 
along  the  quay,  firing  ineffectually  at  the  moving  vessel. 
They  were  answered  with  a  volley  from  her  deck,  and 
two  maroons  fell,  shouts  from  the  Spaniards  acclaiming 
the  lucky  shots. 

1,97 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

But  Turnpenny  had  now  taken  his  post  at  the  nearest 
gun. 

"Body  o'  me,  sure  'tis  a  saker  taken  from  the  Jesus 
herself!"  he  cried  joyfully.  "And  here  be  powder  and 
round  shot  and  stone  shot,  and  a  half-circle  for  the 
sighting.  Haymoss  Turnpenny  be  no  true  man  an  he 
do  not  send  a  good  un  plump  into  the  midst  o*  the 
knaves." 

But  none  knew  better  than  Turnpenny  that,  at  any 
considerable  distance,  it  was  easier  to  miss  than  to  hit. 
Seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  depress  the  gun  so  as 
to  get  a  shot  at  the  vessel  until  she  had  drawn  clear  of 
the  harbor,  he  ran  to  the  ordnance  on  the  northern  wall, 
and  loaded  them  in  readiness  in  case  his  first  shot  missed. 
Meanwhile  Dennis  had  spied  the  muzzle  of  a  demi- 
culverin  projecting  from  the  roof  of  the  round  tower, 
and,  summoning  to  his  assistance  a  white  man  who  was 
among  his  party,  he  ran  up  and  began  with  all  haste 
to  load  the  gun. 

Before  he  had  finished,  there  was  a  flash  and  a  roar 
from  Turnpenny's  saker  just  below.  The  Spaniards  on 
deck,  who  the  moment  before  had  been  laughing  at  the 
futile  shots  from  the  men  on  the  quay,  skipped  down 
the  companionway  with  exceeding  nimbleness.  Dennis 
looked  eagerly  for  the  result  of  the  shot.  That  some- 
thing had  been  carried  away  was  clear  from  the  clatter- 
ing noise  on  board  and  the  rush  of  the  crew  toward  the 
stern-works;  but  neither  the  foremast  nor  the  mainmast 

198 


VAE  VICTIS 

had  been  hit,  and  the  vessel  still  glided  seaward.  Turn- 
penny growled  with  rage,  and  ran  to  the  next  gun,  from 
which,  however,  it  would  be  useless  to  fire  until  the  bark 
had  come  quite  out  from  the  harbor  mouth. 

Dennis'  heart  leaped  within  him  as  he  saw  that  the 
course  of  the  vessel  would  bring  her  in  a  few  seconds 
within  range  of  his  gun.  Now  was  his  chance  of  show- 
ing how  he  had  profited  by  Sir  Martin's  lessons  in 
gunnery.  How  ardently  he  hoped  that  the  bore  was  true 
and  the  windage  not  too  great  to  spoil  his  aim!  He 
waited  with  lighted  match  until,  sighting  with  the  gun- 
ner's half-circle — the  quadrant  with  which  every  piece 
of  ordnance  was  equipped — he  knew  that  the  Spaniards' 
vessel  was  well  within  range.  He  applied  the  match 
and  sprang  forward  to  the  very  edge  of  the  parapet  to 
watch  the  effect  of  his  shot.  There  was  a  sound  of 
rending  and  splitting  from  the  deck;  and  through  the 
smoke  he  saw  the  mainmast  collapse  with  all  its  rigging. 
A  great  shout  from  the  battlements  and  from  the  crowd 
below  acclaimed  the  famous  shot.  There  had  been  no 
time  to  run  up  a  sail  on  the  foremast;  the  vessel  lost 
way ;  and  the  crew,  having  been  deserted  by  the  officers, 
huddled  into  the  forecastle,  leaving  several  of  their 
number  prone  upon  the  deck. 

When  the  motion  of  the  vessel  ceased,  two  of  the 
Spaniards  rushed  up  the  companionway  and  called  on 
the  negroes  frantically  to  hoist  the  foresail.  But  in 
vain.  The  men  were  helpless  with  terror.  And  while 

199 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  Spaniards  were  storming  and  gesticulating,  Turn- 
penny, exerting  his  immense  strength,  hauled  round  the 
eight-foot  minion  which  had  been  removed  from  the 
embrasure  by  which  the  intruders  had  entered  the  fort, 
and  next  moment  a  carcass  crammed  with  case-shot 
plumped  amidships  of  the  hapless  bark,  and  the  Span- 
iards, cowering  from  the  flying  splinters,  scuttled  down 
the  companionway — all  but  one  fellow,  bolder  than  the 
rest.  The  vessel  had  swung  round  a  little,  so  that  her 
stern-chaser,  a  culverin  twelve  feet  long,  pointed  full  at 
the  fort.  It  was  already  loaded.  The  Spaniard,  with  a 
shout  of  defiance,  altered  the  elevation  of  the  gun,  lit  a 
match,  and  applied  it  to  the  touch-hole.  A  round  shot 
crashed  through  the  embrasure  from  which  Turnpenny 
had  fired,  scattering  a  shower  of  stone-chips  around,  and 
dealing  wounds  among  the  group  who  were  watching 
and  assisting  the  seaman  to  reload.  The  crashing  sound 
brought  the  Spaniards  again  from  below,  and  they  began 
feverishly  to  clean  out  and  reload  the  piece.  But  another 
shot  from  Dennis'  gun  fell  plump  into  the  roundhouse 
on  the  half-deck;  and  now  the  Spanish  commandant, 
perceiving  that  the  men  on  the  quay  had  sprung  into  the 
fishers'  canoes  that  lay  alongside,  and  were  making 
direct  to  board  his  vessel,  saw  that  the  game  was  up, 
and,  raising  his  arms  aloft,  shouted  that  he  surrendered. 

"Go  and  board  her,"  cried  Dennis  to  Turnpenny ;  "I'll 
stay  by  the  guns  in  case  he  meditates  treachery." 

The  seaman  hurried  away  with  a  mixed  crowd  of 

200 


VAE  VICTIS 

maroons  and  white  men.  In  a  few  minutes  he  was 
pulling  lustily  for  the  vessel.  Dennis,  with  gun  loaded, 
watched  him  climb  the  side  and  receive  the  Spaniard's 
sword.  Then  a  hawser  was  fixed  to  the  headboards, 
and  the  vessel  was  towed  back  to  the  quay  side. 

Dennis  hastened  down.  The  crestfallen  commandant 
with  all  his  men  were  brought  ashore  and  escorted  to 
his  house,  where  they  were  left  under  guard.  Hugh 
Curder,  with  three  other  seamen,  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  vessel,  and  then  Dennis  reentered  the  fort-inclosure 
with  Turnpenny  and  the  rest,  eager  to  see,  now  that  day 
had  fully  dawned,  what  had  happened  during  his  ab- 
sence. 

He  could  not  repress  a  shudder  as  he  saw  the  ground 
strewn  with  dead  and  wounded  men;  and  he  was  horri- 
fied to  observe  that  some  of  the  slave-fishers  had  broken 
out  of  their  huts,  and  were  moving  about  the  courtyard 
giving  the  finishing  stroke  to  the  wounded  of  their  late 
masters  who  were  yet  alive.  Dennis  sent  Ned  Whiddon 
among  them  to  put  a  stop  to  this  ruthless  butchery; 
then  his  intervention  was  called  for  at  the  round  tower 
from  which  the  prisoners  had  been  released.  A  group 
of  them,  headed  by  a  big,  ruffianly  seaman,  had  burst  open 
the  door  of  the  room  in  which  the  unarmed  Spanish 
guards  had  been  locked,  and  were  beginning  a  work  of 
butchery  there  when  Dennis,  with  Turnpenny  and  a  few 
others,  rushed  to  the  scene.  Dashing  into  the  room, 
Dennis  sprang  at  the  ringleader  just  as  he  was  thrusting 

201 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

at  a  Spaniard  who  had  thrown  himself  down  on  his  knees 
and  was  pleading  for  mercy. 

"Hold,  knave!"  he  cried,  hauling  the  man  away. 

"Zounds,  and  who  be  you?"  shouted  the  fellow,  re- 
covering himself  and  lunging  furiously  at  Dennis. 

"I'll  teach  'ee,  Jan  Biddle!"  roared  Turnpenny,  and, 
seizing  the  man,  he  lifted  him  as  though  he  were  a  child 
and  hurled  him  over  his  head  in  true  Devonian  style. 
Biddle's  head  struck  the  floor  with  a  loud  thud,  and  he 
lay  as  one  killed. 

"Souse  him,  my  hearts!"  cried  Turnpenny.  "The 
saucy  knave!" 

And  in  a  few  minutes  a  plentiful  drenching  from  a 
water-butt  at  the  door  brought  some  glimmering  of  sense 
into  the  man's  bruised  noddle. 

Meanwhile  the  Spaniards  who  had  survived  the  fight 
and  escaped  from  their  pursuers  had  barricaded  them- 
selves in  the  officers'  quarters,  where  they  were  unmo- 
lested while  the  majority  of  their  late  prisoners  were  on 
the  quay.  The  victory  could  not  be  considered  complete 
while  they  remained  shut  up,  for  they  no  doubt  had  arms 
and  ammunition  at  their  disposal.  Some  of  the  victors 
were  for  blowing  up  the  house  and  all  in  it ;  but  Dennis 
and  Turnpenny  dissuaded  them  from  this,  and  declared 
for  insisting  on  unconditional  surrender.  To  obtain  this 
they  made  use  of  the  captive  commandant.  At  Dennis' 
suggestion  Turnpenny  put  the  case  to  him,  pointing  out 
how  hopeless  was  the  position  of  his  men,  and  promising 

202 


VAE  VICTIS 

to  spare  their  lives  if  they  surrendered  at  once.  The 
commandant  was  then  led  to  the  officers'  house  between 
two  men  with  drawn  swords,  and  after  a  few  minutes' 
colloquy  the  men  agreed  to  hand  over  their  weapons. 

Dennis  meanwhile  collected  his  whole  party.  They 
were  a  very  ragged  regiment.  None  was  quite  so  tat- 
tered as  Tom  Copstone,  but  all  were  dirty  and  unkempt, 
unshorn,  bearing  many  marks  of  toil  and  suffering,  as 
well  as  the  more  recent  marks  of  fight.  Of  the  eight 
maroons  who  had  scaled  the  fort  wall  two  were  dead; 
the  rest  were  all  wounded.  Not  one  of  the  little  band 
had  escaped  hurt.  Dennis  had  several  gashes  in  his 
arms.  Turnpenny's  big  face  was  disfigured  with  cuts 
and  bruises,  while  Copstone,  who  had  fought  with  utter 
recklessness,  seemed  to  have  borne  a  charmed  life,  so 
many  were  his  wounds.  The  released  prisoners  had 
come  off  best.  With  the  exception  of  the  two  men  shot 
down  from  the  vessel,  one  being  killed  and  the  other 
badly  wounded,  they  had  escaped  with  a  few  scratches. 
They  were  a  wild,  rough  lot,  and  Dennis  wondered,  as 
he  looked  them  over,  whether  they  would  show  them- 
selves amenable  to  discipline. 

The  Spaniards  having  been  disarmed  and  locked  in 
the  house,  Turnpenny  constituted  himself  the  master  of 
ceremonies.  After  a  brief  talk  with  Ned  Whiddon  and 
Hugh  Curder,  his  special  friends,  he  said  to  Dennis : 

"Here  we  be,  sir,  masters  of  the  fort,  twenty-two  all 
told,  five  being  French.  We  must  needs  have  a  captain, 

203 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

and  that  be  you,  for  'tis  all  owed  to  your  wit,  and  we 
pay  you  our  humble  duty." 

"Thank  you,  Amos,  but  I  will  not  be  captain  save  by 
the  wish  of  all.  Methinks  'tis  an  office  for  one  older 
in  years." 

"Be  jowned  if  it  be,  sir.  Comrades,  list  while  I  tell  the 
tale  of  these  rare  doings." 

He  related  to  the  crowd  the  story  of  his  rescue  from 
the  Spaniards  on  the  island,  the  capture  of  the  lumber- 
ship,  the  voyage  in  the  maroons'  canoe  and  all  that  had 
happened  since.  ; 

"And  now,  comrades,"  he  concluded,  "I  ax  'ee,  who  so 
fit  to  be  our  captain  as  Master  Dennis  Hazelrig,  of 
Shaston,  in  Devon  ?  We  owe  our  lives  to  him,  and  there 
be  many  a  thing  to  face  afore  we  get  across  the  thousand 
leagues  to  home.  Who  but  him  shall  be  our  captain?" 

The  election  was  ratified  with  a  great  shout. 

"Thank  you,  comrades,"  said  Dennis ;  "  'tis  not  a  post 
I  covet;  willingly  would  I  serve  under  an  older  man, 
my  good  friend  Amos,  to  wit.  But  I  accept  your  choice. 
One  thing  I  say.  There  may  be  more  fighting  before  us ; 
if  we  fight,  let  us  fight  like  Englishmen,  not  like  savages, 
and  treat  our  enemies  according  to  the  manner  of  civil- 
ized nations.  Do  you  agree  to  that?" 

"Ay,  ay !"  shouted  the  men — all  but  Jan  Biddle,  whose 
growling  protests  were  howled  down  by  the  rest. 

"Then  it  is  mine  to  choose  my  lieutenant.  You  are  all 
good  men  and  true,  but  'tis  my  misfortune  I  am  not  so 

204 


VAE  VICTIS 

well  acquainted  with  you  as  I  hope  to  be.  But  I  know 
Amos  Turnpenny,  and  you  know  him  also;  and — " 

"I  crave  your  pardon,  sir,"  said  Amos,  interrupting; 
"I  was  gunner's  mate  twenty-five  year  ago  on  the  noble 
fAnne  Gallant,  and  three  year  ago  boatswain  on  Captain 
Hawkins  his  Jesus,  and  methinks  the  rank  of  boatswain 
befits  my  stature  and  my  fancy  both ;  and  if  I  may  be  so 
bold,  I  say  let  these  our  comrades,  good  men  and  true, 
as  you  yourself  did  say,  choose  among  themselves  two 
to  serve  as  mates  aboard  the  vessel." 

"A  wise  speech,"  said  Jan  Biddle.  "There  be  good 
mariners  among  us;  ay,  and  some  of  us  are  skilled  in 
the  manage  of  greater  vessels  than  the  poor  bark  yonder. 
Let  us  then  do  as  Amos  says  and  choose  who  shall  come 
next  to  our  noble  captain." 

"So  be  it,"  said  Dennis,  with  a  glance  at  Amos. 
"Choose,  then,  and  we  will  all  promise  to  abide  the 
choice." 

It  was  clear  that  Jan  Biddle  expected  the  election  to 
one  of  the  posts  to  fall  upon  himself.  He  could  not  hide 
his  chagrin  when  by  general  consent  Ned  Whiddon  and 
a  man  of  quiet  appearance  named  Gabriel  Batten  were 
selected.  Dennis,  on  his  part,  was  glad  that  Biddle  was 
to  remain  a  simple  member  of  the  crew;  he  instinctively 
disliked  the  man's  overbearing  manner  and  the  shifty 
look  in  his  eyes. 

These  matters  having  been  settled,  he  explained  that 
his  purpose  was  to  sail  away  as  soon  as  the  vessel  could 

205 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

be  got  ready,  and  steer  a  course  for  England.  It  was 
needful  to  make  haste,  for  the  sound  of  the  firing  might 
have  been  heard  on  Spanish  ships  at  sea,  and  even  now 
an  enemy  might  be  making  for  the  spot.  The  first  thing 
was  to  inspect  the  vessel  at  the  quay  and  see  what  dam- 
age had  been  done.  He  asked  the  two  mates  and  Turn- 
penny to  accompany  him  to  the  ship  for  this  purpose. 
Meanwhile  he  suggested  that  the  others,  with  the  assist- 
ance of  the  natives,  should  give  those  who  had  been 
killed  burial  in  the  sea,  and  he  despatched  two  of  the 
maroons  to  the  creek  where  they  had  left  Baltizar  and 
one  of  their  comrades  in  charge  of  the  two  prisoners,  to 
acquaint  them  with  what  had  happened  and  bring  them 
to  the  fort. 

Boarding  the  Spanish  vessel,  he  found  that  the  main- 
mast was  a  complete  ruin;  it  would  be  necessary  to 
replace  it.  This  Ned  Whiddon  said  would  be  no  difficult 
matter.  A  couple  of  men  could  soon  fell  a  tall  and  slen- 
der cedar  in  the  woods,  and  though  it  was  not  advisable 
to  spend  much  time  in  trimming  it,  a  few  hours'  work 
would  suffice  to  fit  it  for  its  use.  Luckily  the  step  was 
uninjured,  and  there  was  plenty  of  sound  rope  on  board 
from  which  to  form  new  stays. 

The  deck  had  been  a  good  deal  knocked  about  by  the 
shots  from  the  fort,  but  the  damage  done  was  not  such 
as  to  render  the  vessel  unnavigable  as  soon  as  the  mast 
should  be  stepped  and  the  rigging  repaired.  Ned  Whid- 
don undertook  to  carry  out  the  necessary  work  with  the 

206 


VAE  VICTIS 

assistance  of  men  of  his  choice,  and  went  back  to  the 
fort  with  Batten  to  make  a  beginning. 

Dennis  and  Turnpenny  examined  the  vessel  from 
stem  to  stern  above  and  below  decks.  In  the  captain's 
cabin  they  found  a  number  of  small  bags,  which  on 
being  opened  they  discovered  to  be  full  of  pearls.  The 
commandant  had  evidently  not  come  empty-handed  from 
the  fort.  There  were  also  several  chests  containing 
pieces-of-eight,  and  in  the  hold  were  twenty-odd  jars 
filled  with  gunpowder,  and  more  than  a  hundred  jars 
of  wine. 

"  Tis  my  counsel  to  fling  'em  overboard  as  soon  as  it 
be  dark,"  said  Amos.  "  'Tis  a  goodish  time  since  my 
comrades  have  tasted  strong  liquor,  and  I  fear  me  with 
such  plenty  they  might  drink  until  they  were  drunken 
and  fit  for  nought.  And  Jan  Biddle  with  wine  in  him 
would  be  no  less  than  a  madman." 

"Ay ;  tell  me,  Amos,  what  know  you  of  that  same  loud- 
tongued  mariner?" 

"Why,  sir,  I  know  little.  He  do  say  he  be  an  English- 
man, and  one  time  second  mate  on  a  Dutch  privateer; 
but  what  be  the  truth  of  it  none  can  say.  He  speaks  the 
French  and  Dutch  tongues  as  readily  as  English,  and 
has  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards  even  more 
than  most,  by  reason  of  his  unruly  tongue.  He  is  loved 
by  none,  but  hath  a  certain  power  over  men;  and  I 
rejoice  that  he  is  not  chosen  for  mate  aboard  this  vessel." 

"I  like  not  his  looks.    Your  comrades  have  done  wisely, 

207 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

I  trow,  in  rejecting  him.  And  now,  what  think  you  of 
the  chances  of  our  purposed  voyage,  Amos?" 

"My  heart,  I  warrant  we  can  sail  her  merrily  across 
the  great  ocean,  and  with  favoring  winds  may  hope  to 
see  the  blessed  shores  of  England  in  a  matter  of  two 
months.  And  my  soul  hungers  for  the  sight  of  the  old 
cliffs.  By  the  mercy  of  God,  who  hath  marvelously  pros- 
pered our  doings,  we  will  yet  again  come  to  haven  in 
our  dear  native  land." 

"We  will  new  christen  her  for  luck,  Amos.  Her  pres- 
ent name — I  can  not  say  the  words." 

"Nuestra  Senora  del  Baria — a  papist  name,  sir,  'Our 
Lady  of — I  know  not  what.  What  name  shall  we  give 
her?" 

"What  say  you  to  Mirandolaf  Our  comrade  the  mon- 
key has  without  doubt  gotten  him  away  to  the  woods, 
and  there,  mayhap,  found  old  friends  of  his  kind.  I  hold 
the  beast  in  affection,  Amos,  and  would  fain  keep  him 
in  remembrance." 

"The  Mirandola  it  shall  be,  sir;  'tis  a  fair  sounding 
name,  and,  if  I  may  speak  my  mind,  befits  a  tight  little 
craft  somewhat  better  than  a  heathen  monkey.  Though 
i'  fecks,  I'd  liever  call  her  by  a  plainer  name ;  yet  it  shall 
be  as  you  say." 

"And  now,  a  matter  that  troubles  me,  Amos:  what 
shall  we  do  with  the  Spaniards,  our  captives?" 

"Be  jowned  if  I  would  let  the  knaves  trouble  me.  Let 
'em  loose  afore  we  sail.  There  is  much  food,  I  doubt  not, 

208 


VAE  VICTIS 

in  the  fort,  and  abundance  in  the  woods  around.  The 
knaves  will  not  starve ;  t'ud  be  no  great  loss  if  they  did ; 
and  belike  a  vessel  will  come  to  this  place  ere  many  days 
be  past,  and  then  they  can  tell  the  tale,  with  raging  and 
cursing  that  will  harm  us  not  a  jot." 

"It  shall  be  done.  And  it  will  be  well,  I  trow,  to  raze 
this  fort  to  the  ground.  It  has  been  built  with  the  blood 
and  sweat  of  our  comrades ;  to  destroy  it  will  be  a  just 
reprisal." 

"Ay,  and  make  the  knaves  to  dismantle  it  with  their 
own  hands.  I  would  fain  scourge  their  naked  backs  as 
they  have  scourged  mine,  many's  the  time." 

"And  the  ordnance?" 

"Burst  it  asunder.  Why  should  we  leave  it  sound,  to 
belch  its  shot,  mayhap,  on  English  craft  some  day? 
God-a-mercy,  'twas  a  famous  shot  of  yours,  sir,  that  sent 
the  mainmast  by  the  board,  and  I  don't  grudge  it  'ee 
that  your  aim  was  truer  than  mine.  'Tis  twenty-five 
year  since  I  served  the  ordnance  on  the  Anne  Gallant." 

"And  I  had  good  practice  on  the  Maid  Marian.  But 
you  have  not  forgot  your  cunning,  Amos,  and  I  warrant 
if  we  have  occasion  to  use  the  piece  here  in  the  stern 
you  will  make  good  firing.  Now  'tis  time  to  return  to 
the  fort;  I  would  not  that  Jan  Biddle  should  stir  up  the 
rage  of  our  people  against  those  unhappy  Spaniards,  and 
'tis  not  unlike,  we  being  absent,  he  may  do  so." 

"Ay,  'tis  meet  we  trust  not  Jan  Biddle  overmuch.  Let 
us  go,  sir." 

209 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

They  found  on  returning  that  Ned  Whiddon  had  al- 
ready gone  into  the  forest  with  two  or  three  men  to 
fell  a  tree  for  the  mast.  While  he  was  absent  on  this 
errand,  Dennis  set  part  of  his  company  to  collect  all  the 
Spaniards'  small  arms  and  pile  them  in  readiness  for  con- 
veyance to  the  vessel,  others  to  ram  excessive  charges 
of  powder  into  the  guns,  and  a  third  gang  to  superintend 
the  Spaniards  in  their  enforced  task  of  dismantling  the 
fort.  Great  charges  of  powder,  of  which  there  was  an 
ample  store,  were  placed  in  barrels  in  each  of  the  round 
towers,  to  be  fired  at  the  last  moment,  for  Dennis  did 
not  wish  to  risk  an  explosion,  which  must  be  heard  many 
miles  away,  until  he  was  on  the  point  of  sailing  out  on 
the  Mirandola. 

The  work  of  preparation  was  continued  throughout 
the  day,  with  brief  pauses  for  meals.  Ned  Whiddon 
and  his  party  toiled  with  such  good  will  that  he  was 
able  to  announce,  at  nightfall,  that  after  a  little  more 
work  in  the  morning  the  new  mast  would  be  ready  for 
stepping.  This  was  especially  good  news,  for  in  view 
of  the  possible  arrival  of  a  Spanish  vessel  Dennis  could 
not  feel  secure  until  the  Mirandola  was  fairly  out  to  sea. 
As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  Turnpenny  and  Copstone  went 
down  to  the  vessel,  and  flung  overboard  the  whole  store 
of  wine  save  a  few  jars  which  they  kept  for  emergencies. 
The  Spaniards,  of  whom  about  thirty  had  survived  the 
fight,  were  again  shut  up  in  the  houses  of  the  command- 
ant and  the  officers,  and  Dennis  arranged  that  a  careful 

2IO 


VAE  VICTIS 

watch  should  be  kept  through  the  night.  Then,  tired 
out  with  his  long  labors,  he  gladly  threw  himself  upon 
a  couch  in  one  of  the  towers,  and  slept  soundly  until  the 
dawn. 

In  the  morning,  as  he  went  round  the  battlements  with 
Turnpenny  to  see  that  the  guns  had  all  been  manned 
with  bursting  charges,  he  was  seized  with  a  whim  to 
preserve  two  of  them  and  carry  them  home  to  England. 

"Methinks  they  would  make  rare  trophies  for  our 
folks  to  marvel  at,"  he  said  to  Amos  with  a  smile. 
"What  say  you,  Amos?  Would  not  one  look  exceeding 
well  on  the  Hoe  at  Plymouth?  And  I  think  not  Holies, 
my  steward,  who  is  keeping  my  little  place  at  Shaston 
warm  for  me  till  I  attain  to  man's  estate — I  think  not 
even  he,  Puritan  as  he  is,  would  find  cause  why  one 
should  not  stand  at  my  gates." 

"A  rare  conceit,  sir.  Pray  you  one  be  the  saker  stolen 
by  the  knaves  from  the  Jesus;  t'other  might  be  the  demi- 
culverin  you  fired  so  famously.  They'd  be  good  ballast 
aboard,  moreover;  pearls  are  of  greater  price  than 
weight;  and  there  be  room  enough  and  to  spare  in  the 
hold." 

With  some  trouble  the  two  pieces  were  lowered  over 
the  battlements  to  the  quay  and  hoisted  aboard  the  vessel, 
where  Ned  Whiddon  and  his  crew  were  already  at  work 
stepping  the  mast  and  overhauling  the  rigging.  By  mid- 
day Whiddon  declared  with  pride  that  the  Mirandola  was 
ready  for  sea.  A  great  cheer  greeted  the  announcement. 

211 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

No  time  was  lost  in  carrying  stores,  water,  arms  and 
ammunition  on  board.  When  all  was  safely  stowed, 
Dennis,  with  Turnpenny  as  interpreter,  had  a  final  inter- 
view with  the  commandant,  to  whom  he  made  known 
his  intention  of  blowing  up  the  towers  of  the  fort,  but 
leaving  the  buildings  in  the  center  of  the  inclosure  intact. 
He  said  also  that  the  native  pearl-fishers,  with  the 
maroons,  had  elected  to  coast  along  the  shore  in  their 
canoes  until  they  reached  a  settlement  of  their  own 
people.  Being  well  provided  with  arms,  they  could 
defend  themselves  against  pursuit,  even  if  there  should 
be  any  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  Spaniards  to 
attempt  to  capture  them. 

Then,  one  after  another,  the  guns  were  fired  and  burst 
to  atoms  by  means  of  long  trains  of  powder.  Last  of 
all  the  charges  in  the  towers  were  exploded,  and  as  the 
masonry  toppled  and  fell  after  each  thunderous  roar, 
the  little  company  greeted  the  destruction  with  a  storm 
of  cheers.  When  Dennis  and  his  comrades  turned  their 
backs  on  the  place  and  went  aboard  the  Mirandola,  they 
left  the  once  stronghold  a  heap  of  ruins,  amid  which 
the  Spaniards  were  already  moving  about  in  desolation 
and  despair. 


212 


CHAPTER  XV 

A    STERN    CHASE 

The  Mir  and  ola  was  towed  out  of  the  little  harbor 
by  maroons  and  Indians  in  their  canoes,  and  beat  out 
to  sea  against  a  nor'-nor'easterly  wind.  Thanks  to  Ned 
Whiddon  and  his  comrades,  the  bark  was  in  capital  trim, 
and  the  crew,  now  after  many  days  free  men  afloat, 
were  at  the  top  of  cheerfulness  and  jollity.  The  long 
voyage  home  had  no  terrors  for  them.  They  were  all 
sturdy  mariners,  accustomed  to  venture  their  lives  on  the 
deep.  They  had  hardly  weathered  the  headland  to  the 
east  and  stood  away  for  the  mouth  of  the  gulf  before 
Hugh  Curder  began  to  troll  a  ditty. 

"Lustily,  lustily,  let  us  sail  forth; 

The  wind  trim  doth  serve  us,  it  blows  from  the  north; 

All  things  we  have  ready,  and  nothing  we  want 

To  furnish  our  ship  that  rideth  hereby; 
Victuals  and  weapons  they  be  nothing  scant, 

Like  worthy  mariners  ourselves  we  will  try, 
Lustily,  oh,  lustily!" 

"Oh,  'tis  good  to  hear  'ee,  Hugh!"  cried  Turn- 
penny. "And  I  do  wish  we  had  a  crowdy-kit  aboard,  for 
I  mind  me  Tom  Copstone  can  ply  the  bow,  and  a  merry 
tune  would  set  our  feet  a-jog.  To  it  again,  Hugh ;  open 

213 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

your  thropple,  man,  and  we'll  bear  our  burden,  every 
man  of  us." 

And  Hugh  Curder,  after  "hawking  and  spitting,"  as 
he  said,  because  his  "wynd-pipe"  was  "summat  scrannied 
for  want  o'  use,"  struck  up  again: 

"Her  flags  be  new-trimmed,  set  flaunting  aloft — " 

"Not  so,"  interrupted  Ned  Whiddon.  "We  bean't 
got  no  flags." 

"Pegs !  'tis  in  the  ditty,  Ned,"  cried  Turnpenny.  "None 
but  a  ninny-hammer  would  look  for  sober  truth  in  a 
ditty.  Heed  him  not,  Hugh;  to  it  again." 

"Her  flags  be  new-trimmed,  set  flaunting  aloft, 

Our  ship  for  swift  swimming,  oh,  she  doth  excel! 

We  fear  no  enemies,  we've  escaped  them  oft; 

Of  all  ships  that  swimmeth  she  beareth  the  bell, 
Lustily,  oh,  lustily! 

"And  here  is  a  master  excelleth  in  skill, 

And  our  master's  mate  he  is  not  to  seek; 

And  here  is  a  boatswain  will  do  his  good  will, 
And  here  is  a  ship-boy  we  never  had  leak. 
Lustily,  oh,  lustily!" 

"You  be  the  ship-boy,  Hugh,  seeing  you  be  the  young- 
est of  us,"  said  Whiddon.  "And  you've  a  proper  breast 
for  a  singing-boy." 

"Now  the  last  stanza,  Hugh,"  cried  Turnpenny.  "  'If 
fortune  then  fail  not!' — but  my  scrimpy  voice  murders 
it  Sing  up,  man!" 

214 


"If  fortune  then  fail  not,  and  our  next  voyage  prove, 
We  will  return  merely  and  make  good  cheer, 
And  hold  all  together  as  friends  linked  in  love, 

The  cans  shall  be  filled  with  wine,  ale  and  beer, 
Lustily,  oh,  lustily!" 

"  Tis  not  worth  a  crim,"  growled  Jan  Biddle,  when 
the  song  was  ended.  "  'Wine,  ale,  and  beer' — where  is 
it?  I'd  give  a  week  o'  life  for  a  gallon  o'  homebrewed." 

"Ay,  and  what  then!"  said  Gabriel  Batten.  "Sing 
the  song  of  ale,  Hugh." 

"Back  and  side  go  bare,  go  bare, 
Both  foot  and  hand  go  cold — " 

"Nay,  not  that  one;  'tis  over  long,  and'll  make  us 
too  drouthy.  Seeing  we  have  no  ale,  t'ud  be  cruel 
to  sing  the  praises  of  it  so  feelingly.  Nay,  sing  the 
ditty  that  serves  for  warning;  'twill  better  fit  our  case." 

Hugh  Curder  began : 

"Ale  makes  many  a  man  to  make  his  head  have  knocks, 

And  she  makes  many  a  man  to  sit  in  the  stocks ; 

And  ale  makes  many  a  man  to  hang  upon  the  gallows — " 

"Oh,  shut  his  mouth!"  cried  Biddle  testily.  "We'll 
all  be  glumping  if  we  list  to  such  trash.  Hallo  for  the 
wind  to  change,  for  with  this  nor'easter  blowing  we'll 
never  get  clear  of  the  coast." 

The  vessel  was  indeed  making  slow  progress,  beating 
out  against  the  strong  wind.  Dennis,  though  elected 
captain,  had  little  to  do  with  the  actual  handling  of 

215 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  ship:  in  those  days  the  captain  was  not  always  a 
navigator.  But  the  Mirandola  was  in  good  hands.  Both 
Whiddon  and  Batten  were  practised  seamen,  and  in  sea- 
manship as  distinguished  from  navigation  Turnpenny 
was  incomparable.  They  had  found  in  the  cabin  a  chart 
of  the  coast  and^the  neighboring  sea,  by  means  of  which 
they  avoided  the  shoals  and  made  without  mishap  toward 
the  mouth  of  the  gulf.  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  examined 
the  chart  carefully  to  see  if  they  could  distinguish  the 
island  they  had  named  Maiden  Isle.  Several  small  islands 
were  marked  on  it  as  mere  dots  without  names,  and  they 
could  not  for  a  long  time  decide  which  of  them  was 
Maiden  Isle ;  but  Turnpenny  at  last  fixed  on  one  of  them, 
and  his  conjecture  was  proved  to  be  correct  in  the  even- 
ing. Whiddon  had  set  the  course  by  Turnpenny's  sug- 
gestion, and  just  before  dark  the  vessel  skirted  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  island  where  he  and  Dennis  had 
met  so  strangely. 

Looking  at  the  chart,  Dennis  wondered  how  the  Maid 
Marian  had  escaped  wrecking  a  dozen  times  during  the 
hurricane  that  finally  cast  her  up  on  the  western  shore. 
There  was  marked  a  good  open  channel  for  vessels  of  any 
draft  south  and  southeast  of  the  island,  but,  as  he  had 
guessed,  the  sea  to  the  north  and  west  was  practically 
unnavigable  except  by  small  craft.  The  Mirandola  gave 
the  island  a  wide  berth  in  passing ;  the  wind  was  freshen- 
ing, and  there  were  signs  of  heavy  weather.  Dennis  felt 
a  little  regret  at  leaving  the  island  unvisited,  and  aban- 

216 


A  STERN  CHASE 

doning  the  relics  of  his  friends  which  he  had  saved  from 
the  wreck;  but,  like  every  member  of  his  party,  he  was 
eager  to  lose  sight  of  this  hostile  coast,  and  to  gain  the 
wide  ocean,  where,  given  good  luck,  they  would  be  secure 
from  Spanish  molestation  and  have  nothing  to  fear  but 
the  ordinary  chances  of  a  long  voyage. 

They  made  little  headway  that  night.  Anxious  as  they 
were  to  run  out  of  the  main  track  of  Spanish  commerce, 
they  felt  the  necessity  of  choosing  a  safe  rather  than  a 
short  course,  and  especially  of  avoiding  the  network  of 
reefs  and  islands  to  leeward.  In  the  blackest  hours  of 
the  night,  indeed,  they  lay  to,  Turnpenny  remarking  that 
it  was  better  to  lose  a  little  time  than  to  run  the  risk  of 
losing  the  vessel  by  a  too  bold  navigation  of  unfamiliar 
seas. 

This  caution  proved  to  be  justified,  for  the  wind 
shifted  in  the  night ;  and  when  at  break  of  day  she  again 
got  under  way  they  found  that  she  had  drifted  danger- 
ously near  an  island  which,  being  very  small,  was  not 
marked  on  the  chart.  A  light  haze  lay  over  the  sea,  but 
it  lifted  soon,  and  then  vast  excitement  was  aroused  on 
board  when  the  lookout  shouted  that  he  descried,  under 
the  lee  of  the  island,  a  vessel  under  full  sail.  Turnpenny 
took  a  long  look  at  her,  and  declared  that  she  was  a  bark 
somewhat  larger  than  the  Mirandola,  though  at  the  dis- 
tance— near  four  miles,  he  thought — it  was  impossible  to 
be  sure. 

"Of  what  nation  is  she  ?"  asked  Dennis. 

217 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"No  mortal  man  could  say,"  returned  Amos ;  "but  'tis 
a  hundred  to  one  she  be  a  Spaniard,  and  we  must  either 
fight  or  run." 

"Think  you  she  will  see  us,  being  so  small  a  vessel?" 

"None  can  tell  that  either.  We  must  look  to  the  worst. 
She  has  the  weather  gage  of  us,  and  will  of  a  surety  over- 
haul us  if  she  does  spy  us,  and  then  'twill  be  too  late  to 
run.  Tis  certain  we  can  not  fight  her;  our  armament 
will  not  suffice ;  furthermore,  from  her  size  I  reckon  her 
crew  to  be  three  or  four  times  ours,  and  our  men  have  no 
mind  to  be  captured  and  cast  again  into  a  Spanish  dun- 
geon." 

"We  must  e'en  run  then/'  said  Dennis,  with  a  sigh. 
"That  means  we  must  put  about?" 

"True,  and  'tis  somewhat  in  our  favor,  for  you  per- 
ceive the  wind  has  shifted  in  the  night  to  west-sou'west, 
and  we  can  run  with  the  wind  on  our  beam  as  well  as 
she." 

Whiddon  accordingly  put  the  vessel  about,  and  set  the 
course  so  that  she  could  keep  the  island  between  herself 
and  the  stranger.  But  in  the  course  of  the  next  hour 
it  was  clear  that  the  Mirandola  had  not  escaped  notice. 
The  stranger  had  weathered  the  island  and  was  mani- 
festly standing  in  pursuit.  The  crew  of  the  Mirandola 
watched  her  anxiously.  They  were  but  twenty-two  all 
told,  five  of  them  being  French ;  and  although  they  were 
all  stout  mariners  with  no  lack  of  native  courage,  the 
remembrance  of  their  past  sufferings  did  not  incline  them 

218 


A  STERN  CHASE 

to  run  risks.  For  some  time  it  was  doubtful  whether  the 
pursuing  vessel  was  or  was  not  gaining;  but  as  the  day 
wore  on  it  became  clearer  that  the  Mirandola  was  being 
outsailed. 

"  'Tis  a  piece  of  rare  good  luck  we  had  the  wind  against 
us  last  night,"  said  Turnpenny,  "for  in  a  straight  chase 
in  the  open  we  should  have  no  chance  against  the  critter, 
whereas  if  we  get  back. among  these  islands  we  may  give 
her  the  slip." 

"If  we  do  not  strike  a  reef  and  founder,"  replied 
Dennis. 

Here  Turnpenny  tried  a  device  that  he  had  often 
seen  practised  on  the  Anne  Gallant.  He  ordered  two 
men  to  go  up  to  the  cross-trees  with  a  pulley-block ;  they 
rove  a  line  through,  and,  hoisting  up  buckets  of  water, 
saturated  all  the  canvas.  Then  he  put  all  the  men  on 
to  the  lee  braces,  and  so  got  the  vessel  to  lie  a  point 
nearer  the  wind. 

The  two  maneuvers  considerably  increased  her  speed, 
but,  in  spite  of  all  that  seamanship  could  do  or  devise, 
the  gap  between  the  vessels  sensibly  diminished;  the 
pursuer  loomed  ever  larger  down  to  leeward.  Then  Jan 
Biddle  began  to  show  himself  in  his  true  colors.  Den- 
nis had  noticed  that  the  man  had  attached  to  himself  a 
group  of  the  wilder  spirits  among  the  crew,  who  with 
an  ill  grace  went  about  the  duties  assigned  to  them  by 
Whiddon,  and  upon  whom,  indeed,  the  mate  called  as 
seldom  as  possible.  When  it  became  clear  that  the 

219 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Mirandola  was  being  surely  overhauled,  these  men  were 
observed  in  close  talk  beneath  the  break  of  the  poop. 
By  and  by  Biddle  swaggered  forward,  followed  by  seven 
or  eight  of  his  comrades,  to  where  Whiddon  and  Turn- 
penny stood,  forward  of  the  mainmast.  Batten  was  at 
the  helm. 

"Art  mad,  Ned  Whiddon  ?"  cried  Biddle  in  a  hectoring 
tone.  "Dost  think  thou'rt  a  mariner?  Crymaces!  if  we 
trust  to  thee  we'll  be  laid  by  the  heels  in  the  hold  of 
yonder  craft  ere  night." 

"Couldst  do  better,  think  'ee?"  asked  Whiddon  quietly. 

"Better?  Who  but  a  slin-pole  would  have  done  as 
'ee  have  done?  There's  but  one  way  to  'scape  out  of  the 
clutches  of  the  Spaniards,  and  that  is  to  put  the  tiller 
down.  Come  about  and  run  for  it.  This  craft's  better 
in  reef  than  close-hauled." 

"Know  a  fool  by  his  folly,"  said  Turnpenny.  "Rule 
your  saucy  tongue,  Jan  Biddle,  and  offer  not  to  teach 
your  betters." 

"Who  be  you  to  talk  of  betters,  Amos  Turnpenny — 
a  sluddering  rampallian  like  you?  An'  you  will  take  no 
counsel  we'll  e'en  see  to  the  manage  of  the  vessel  our- 
selves. Here,  comrades,  this  be  enough  of  these  joulter- 
heads;  let  go  the  sheets;  I  will  put  the  helm  down  and 
we'll  go  round  on  the  other  tackle;  we'll  have  no  fools 
over  us,  to  bring  us  to  harm." 

But  before  one  of  the  malcontents  could  step  forward 
to  do  his  bidding,  Turnpenny  threw  his  arms  around 

220 


Biddle,  lifted  him  clean  off  his  feet,  and  flung  him  against 
the  bulwark,  where  he  lay  stunned. 

"And  I'll  serve  any  man  likewise  that  dares  to  raise 
his  voice  in  mutiny.  Get  about,  you  villains,  and  'ware 
lest  you  be  clapped  in  irons  and  set  a-wash  in  the  bilge." 

Dennis  had  hastened  to  Turnpenny's  side  at  the  first 
sign  of  altercation. 

"When  the  chase  is  over  we  will  deal  with  these  fel- 
lows," he  said  quietly.  "Meanwhile,  Amos,  is  not  that 
our  Maiden  Isle  on  the  lee-side  ahead?" 

"Surely  it  is,  sir." 

"Think  you  not  'twould  serve  us  best,  perhaps,  to  run 
in  among  the  reefs  thereabouts?  The  bark  could  not 
follow  us." 

"True,  but  we  might  strike  and  run  aground  any 
moment,  and  lose  our  vessel  and  our  lives  withal." 

"Ay,  but  we  are  being  surely  overhauled,  and  me- 
seems  'twere  better  to  take  the  risk  of  running  aground 
than  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Spaniards.  There  is 
a  chance  of  our  threading  a  way  through,  whereas  the 
stranger,  being  of  greater  draft,  would  not  venture  her 
bottom  among  these  uncharted  shoals." 

"Verily  'tis  a  wise  thought — if  there  be  time.  What 
think  'ee,  Ned?  Yonder,  mark  'ee,  is  the  isle  whereon 
Master  Hazelrig  and  I  lived  secure  for  a  matter  of 
weeks,  with  food  in  plenty.  Think  'ee  there  be  time 
to  make  the  shallows  afore  the  Spaniard  comes  within 
shot  of  us?" 

221 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Ay,  there  be  time  enough,  but  I  fear  me  we  should 
wreck  our  craft." 

"There  be  no  other  way,  Ned.  And  I  warrant  me  I 
could  make  a  shift  to  steer  a  safe  course  inshore,  because 
'twas  on  the  south  side  of  the  isle  we  landed  from  the 
timber  ship,  and  there,  i'  feks,  be  her  masts — see,  Ned, 
standing  out  a  little  above  the  sea." 

"Then  do  'ee  take  the  tiller,  Haymoss,  and  God  save 
us  all." 

Clearly  the  course  of  the  Mirandola  was  being  closely 
watched  on  the  pursuing  vessel,  for  when,  tacking  in 
obedience  to  the  helm,  she  made  direct  for  the  south 
of  the  island,  there  came  a  puff  of  smoke  from  the  side 
of  the  bark,  and  a  shot  plumped  into  the  sea  about  two 
cable-lengths  astern. 

"  'Twas  over  hurrisone,  master  don,"  said  Turnpenny 
with  a  chuckle;  "and  call  me  a  Dutchman  if  'ee  ever 
get  to  closer  range." 

He  ran  the  little  vessel  cleverly  inshore  and  steered 
past  the  wreck  of  the  timber  ship.  Then  it  occurred 
to  Dennis  that  there  must  be  a  practicable  channel  not 
far  to  the  west,  or  the  Maid  Marian  would  have  gone 
aground  in  the  hurricane  long  before  she  did.  At  his 
suggestion  the  Mirandola  was  kept  on  her  course  for 
half  a  mile  beyond  the  southernmost  point  of  the  island. 
Then,  as  there  was  no  time  to  take  soundings,  she  was 
put  before  the  wind,  with  the  object  of  gaining  the  north 
of  the  island,  where  Dennis  knew  that  if  the  pursuer 

222 


A  STERN  CHASE 

drew  as  much  water  as  from  her  size  seemed  likely, 
there  was  little  chance  of  her  being  able  to  follow. 

The  confident  bearing  of  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  had 
a  cheering  influence  on  the  crew.  Even  Jan  Biddle, 
who  had  now  recovered  from  his  blow,  and  his  cronies 
seemed  no  longer  inclined  to  quarrel  with  the  handling 
of  the  vessel.  The  pursuer  was  out  of  sight,  hidden  by 
the  bend  of  the  shore.  The  Mirandola  was  making  ex- 
cellent sailing  before  the  wind,  and  Dennis  hoped  that 
if  the  good  vessel  could  elude  the  Spaniard  until  dark, 
there  might  be  a  good  chance  of  her  escaping  any  further 
attentions. 

The  pursuer  came  in  sight  again  just  as  the  Mirandola 
was  approaching  the  rocky  ridge  which  had  been  a  bar- 
rier to  Dennis'  exploration  of  the  shore  on  his  first  day 
on  the  island.  He  was  rejoiced  to  see  that  in  wearing 
she  had  lost  a  little.  Then  a  sudden  idea  struck  him. 
Beyond  the  ridge  was  the  entrance  to  the  gully,  and  up 
the  gully  the  broad  pool  in  which  the  Maid  Marian  lay. 
Would  not  the  best  course,  after  all,  be  to  play  a  trick 
on  the  pursuer?  Why  not  try  to  run  into  the  pool? 
When  the  Mirandola  had  once  rounded  the  shoulder  of 
the  cliff  she  would  again  be  almost  out  of  sight;  if  she 
would  run  into  the  gully  the  pursuers  would  almost 
certainly  suppose  that  she  had  fled  round  the  northern 
side  of  the  island;  and  safe  in  the  pool,  she  might  lie 
until  the  chase  had  been  given  up.  He  mentioned  his 
idea  to  Amos. 

223 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Be  jowned  if  it  bean't  a  right  merry  notion,"  cried 
the  mariner. 

But  none  knew  better  the  difficulty  of  steering  the 
vessel  safely  into  the  gully.  There  was  no  time  for 
consideration.  If  once  she  passed  the  entrance  the  vessel 
could  not  beat  back  again  before  the  pursuer  came  with- 
in range.  The  slightest  failure  in  Turnpenny's  seaman- 
ship would  run  the  bark  on  the  rocks.  But  the  old 
mariner  knew  the  gully,  and  had  calculated  to  a  nicety 
just  what  the  Mirandola  could  do.  With  set  lips  and  a 
deep  indentation  between  his  brows  he  stood  at  the  helm 
and  gave  his  orders  to  the  men. 

"Stand  by  the  halliards,"  he  cried,  "and  let  go  the 
moment  I  say  the  word." 

It  was  important  to  have  plenty  of  way  on  the  vessel, 
for  the  instant  she  came  to  the  headland  the  wind  would 
be  taken  out  of  her  canvas.  Easing  the  helm  gently 
over,  Turnpenny  called  tp  the  men  to  let  go  as  the 
ship  rounded  the  point;  in  a  few  moments  the  canvas 
was  all  taken  in,  and  with  the  way  on  her  she  glided 
up  the  gully. 

Within  ten  minutes  from  the  time  when  the  notion 
first  occurred  to  Dennis,  the  Mirandola  lay  side  by  side 
with  the  wreck  of  the  Maid  Marian  in  the  pool,  invisible 
from  the  open  sea. 

"Mum's  the  word,"  said  Turnpenny  when  the  anchor 
had  been  dropped.  "Muzzle  your  jaws  for  a  while. 
Master  Hazelrig  and  me  we  knows  this  island,  and  we'll 

224 


A  STERN  CHASE 

mount  the  cliff  yonder  and  see  what  the  don  Spaniard 
makes  of  us  now." 

Leaving  the  men  to  swim  ashore  if  they  chose,  Den- 
nis and  TuYnpenny  sprang  overboard,  soon  found  their 
footing,  and  scrambled  up  the  rocks  and  the  cliff,  keep- 
ing well  under  cover.  When  they  reached  the  top  they 
saw  the  pursuer  about  three  miles  distant.  She  had 
shortened  sail,  and  was  evidently  inclined  to  give  the 
coast  a  wider  berth  than  the  Mirandola  had  done.  It 
was  growing  dusk  when  she  came  level  with  the  gully, 
standing  about  a  mile  from  the  shore.  Her  movements 
for  a  time  were  erratic;  clearly  the  people  on  board 
distrusted  the  waters  round  the  island  and  were  some- 
what perplexed  as  to  the  course  taken  by  the  fugitive. 
At  length  they  decided  apparently  to  abandon  the  pur- 
suit, for  she  stood  away  to  windward,  and  the  two 
watchers  breathed  again. 


225 


CHAPTER   XVI 

JAN  BIDDLE,    MASTER 

"God  be  praised!"  said  Turnpenny  fervently;  "we 
have  escaped  out  of  the  hands  of  the  enemy." 

"And  we  find  ourselves  once  more  on  Maiden  Isle, 
the  which  I  never  thought  to  set  foot  on  more.  I  am 
glad  of  it,  Amos,  for  now  that  we  have  a  bark  fit  to 
carry  us  over  the  sea,  I  would  fain  take  with  us  certain 
things  that  belonged  to  my  dear  comrades.  They  will 
be  cherished  by  their  sorrowing  folks  at  home." 

"True,  the  sight  of  such  belongings  of  the  dead  and 
gone  do  have  a  morsel  of  comfort  in  it.  And,  moreover, 
we  can  take  some  of  our  stores,  for  though  our  own 
monkey  ship  be  not  ill  provided,  yet  the  victuals  be  Span- 
ish, and  'twill  make  new  men  of  our  comrades  to  give 
'em  a  rasher  of  bacon  now  and  again." 

"Ay,  but  why  monkey  ship,  Amos?" 

"Why,  sir,  I  can  not  put  my  tongue  to  the  name  your 
fancy  gave  the  vessel,  and  to  my  thinking  it  is  not  to 
compare  with  Anne  Gallant,  and  Jesus,  and  Minion,  and 
other  craft  I  have  served  aboard,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
Susans  and  Bettys  that  are  well  beknown  in  Plimworth 
Sound." 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

"Well,  have  your  way.  To  my  ears  Mirandola  hath 
a  pleasant  sound,  and  it  will  always  keep  me  in  mind 
of  my  good  friend.  But  'tis  time  we  returned  to  our 
comrades." 

When  they  reached  the  entrance  of  the  chine  they 
found  that  the  crew  had  all  come  ashore,  save  one  or  two 
who  were  curiously  examining  the  wreck  of  the  Maid 
Marian.  They  could  not  refrain  from  shouting  a  glad 
"Huzza!"  when  they  learned  that  the  pursuing  vessel 
was  standing  away.  Jan  Biddle  and  one  of  his  cronies 
had  been  rummaging  in  Dennis'  hut  and  sheds,  finding 
little  to  reward  them,  however,  almost  everything  hav- 
ing been  transferred  to  Skeleton  Cave. 

Night  was  drawing  on  apace,  and  though  some  of 
the  crew  were  for  setting  sail  in  the  darkness,  the  major- 
ity agreed  with  Dennis  that  it  would  be  better  to  defer 
their  departure  until  the  following  night.  This  plan 
would  give  them  a  whole  day's  rest;  it  would  render  it 
less  likely  that  the  pursuer  would  be  still  in  the  neighbor- 
hood ;  and  it  would  enable  them  to  carry  more  water  on 
board,  which  was  desirable  in  view  of  the  possibility  of 
a  protracted  voyage.  Dennis  and  Amos  decided  to  oc- 
cupy their  old  hut ;  the  men  were  given  their  choice 
of  the  sheds,  now  all  but  empty,  and  the  huts  erected 
by  the  maroons  near  the  logwood  grove.  They  all  de- 
clared for  sleeping  ashore  rather  than  on  board  ship, 
Hugh  Curder  and  Gabriel  Batten,  however,  volunteering 
to  remain  on  deck  as  a  night  watch. 

227 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Next  day,  after  the  stores  and  things  which  Dennis 
wished  to  take  home  had  been  transferred  from  the 
cave  to  the  vessel,  and  several  barrels  of  fresh  water  from 
the  spring  in  the  cliff  had  been  placed  in  her  hold,  the 
men  broke  up  into  little  groups  and  wandered  about  the 
island,  reveling  in  their  liberty  and  in  the  abundance 
of  fruit  which  they  could  have  for  the  picking.  Several 
times  Dennis  went  to  the  cliff-top  on  one  side  of  the 
island,  and  Amos  on  the  other  side,  to  scan  the  horizon 
for  a  sail,  but  neither  saw  any  sign  of  one.  In  the 
afternoon  Dennis  ventured  to  sound  Sir  Martin's  trum- 
pet as  a  signal  of  recall,  and  the  men  came  dropping 
back  in  ones  and  twos  and  threes  in  anticipation  of  de- 
parture. 

The  tide  was  at  flood,  and  Dennis  had  just  given  the 
order  to  go  aboard,  when  Tom  Copstone  suddenly  ex- 
claimed : 

"Zuggers!    Where  be  Gabriel  Batten?" 

"Is  he  not  here?"  asked  Dennis. 

"Not  a  ghost  of  him!"  said  Amos,  looking  round 
on  the  company. 

"He  were  always  a  ninny-hammer,"  said  Jan  Biddle 
angrily.  "Never  did  I  know  such  a  man  for  simples  and 
other  trash.  Sure  he  be  roaming  somewheres  with  his 
nose  to  the  ground,  trying  to  smell  out  some  herb  that 
will  heal  a  scratch  or  cure  a  distemper." 

"Blow  up  the  trumpet  for  en,"  suggested  Copstone. 
"Gabr'el  be  a  vitty  lad — none  the  worse  for  not  being 

228 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

made  so  rampageous  as  'ee,  Jan  Biddle,  for  all  he  do 
go  wool-gathering  at  whiles." 

Biddle  glared  at  the  speaker,  but  said  no  more.  Hugh 
Curder,  being  the  man  with  the  brazen  lungs,  blew  a 
loud  blast  on  the  trumpet  which  set  the  cliffs  and  the 
chine  reverberating.  They  waited;  the  wanderer  must 
have  gone  far  indeed,  if  he  was  out  of  earshot  of  that 
strident  blare.  But  as  time  went  on  and  he  did  not 
appear,  Dennis  began  to  be  somewhat  vexed. 

"  'Twas  thoughtless  of  the  man,"  he  said ;  "already 
is  the  tide  beginning  to  ebb;  in  two  hours  it  will  be 
impossible  to  embark  this  night,  and  that  entails  upon 
us  the  loss  of  another  day." 

"Embark  without  him,"  growled  Biddle.  "What  is 
he  that  he  should  keep  a  score  of  good  men  waiting 
his  pleasure?" 

"Nay,  nay,"  said  Dennis.  "We  can  not  leave  him  here. 
You  have  had  your  sufferings  and  sorrows,  from  the 
like  of  which  God  save  us  all;  but  is  there  a  man  of 
you  that  hath  dwelt  alone  upon  an  island,  spending  nights 
and  days  without  the  sight  of  a  face,  or  the  sound  of 
a  voice?  That  have  I  done,  and  not  willingly  shall  I 
subject  a  man  to  a  like  solitude.  There  is  still  a  little 
space  during  which  the  tide  will  serve.  Let  us  scatter 
in  parties,  some  going  this  way,  some  that,  and  halloo; 
perchance  some  of  us  may  light  on  our  comrade." 

The  suggestion  was  adopted;  only  Jan  Biddle  and 
his  few  particular  friends  went  about  the  search  grudg- 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

ingly.  But  though  the  men  scoured  the  island  from  shore 
to  shore,  and  kept  up  the  quest  to  the  very  verge  of 
nightfall,  long  after  the  tide  had  run  so  low  that  the 
idea  of  setting  sail  had  to  be  abandoned  for  that  day, 
they  discovered  no  trace  of  the  straggler,  and  returned 
weary  and  irritable  when  the  trumpet  recalled  them. 

"He  may  come  in  by  and  by,"  said  Dennis  cheerfully. 
"If  not,  we  must  e'en  take  up  the  search  in  the  morning. 
We  shall  have  a  whole  day  wherein  to  pursue  it.  Let 
us  now  get  our  supper  and  commend  ourselves  and  our 
comrades  to  God." 

"Odspitikins !"  cried  Jan  Biddle.  "What  did  I  say! 
What  a  captain  is  this!  Here  we  be,  twenty-one  souls, 
raped  up  here  for  one  slummaking  micher  not  worth  a 
varden." 

"My  heart!"  shouted  Amos.  "You  were  best  keep 
a  still  tongue  in  your  noddle,  Jan  Biddle,  or  with  the 
captain's  leave  I'll  clap  'ee  in  irons  the  instant  we  go 
aboard,  and  keep  'ee  under  hatches  for  a  sluddering 
mutineer — ay,  and  larrup  'ee  first,  I  warrant  'ee." 

Biddle's  experience  of  the  strength  of  Turnpenny's 
arm  did  not  encourage  him  to  repeat  his  protest;  but 
when  the  supper  was  spread  on  the  rocks  above  the 
pool,  he  carried  all  his  portion  to  a  place  apart,  and 
nursed  his  wrath  among  a  small  group  of  his  comrades 
who  followed  him.  The  malcontents  numbered  eight 
in  all,  and  four  of  these  were  Frenchmen,  with  whom 
Biddle  could  converse  freely  in  their  own  tongue. 

230 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

Again  they  slept  ashore,  except  the  two  who  had 
been  selected  to  keep  watch  on  the  vessel.  The  precau- 
tion seemed  hardly  necessary,  for  it  was  unlikely  that 
a  hostile  ship  would  appear  in  the  night;  but  Turn- 
penny had  suggested  that  it  was  well  to  keep  up  the 
customs  observed  at  sea.  The  men  chosen  for  this  night's 
watch  were  two  steady  fellows  named  William  Hawk 
and  Luke  Fenton. 

Dennis  lay  awake,  for  some  time,  talking  with  Amos 
about  the  missing  man.  Though  he  had  maintained  a 
cheerful  composure  before  the  crew,  he  was  in  reality 
not  a  little  vexed  at  the  delay  caused  by  the  thoughtless- 
ness of  Gabriel  Batten. 

"Is  it  true,  what  Biddle  said,"  he  asked,  "about  Bat- 
ten's madness  for  gathering  simples?" 

"Ay,  'tis  true.  He  be  a  vitty  lad,  as  Torn  Copstone 
said,  and  a  good  seaman,  quiet  withal;  but  he  has  a 
maggot,  and  'tis  that,  without  a  doubt,  that  has  led  him 
a-roaming.  There  be  a  time  for  everything,  and  though 
I  do  not  deny  that  Gabriel's  skill  in  simples  has  ofttimes 
served  us  well,  'tis  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  men 
make  a  pucker  about  it." 

"Well,  we  must  find  him  to-morrow.  We  can  not  sail 
away  without  him;  why,  there  is  not  even  a  Mirandola 
here  now  to  bear  him  company."  Dennis'  voice  rang  with 
determination. 

"Be  jowned  if  I  don't  ballirag  en  to-morrow  for  his 
hanticks,  od-rat-em!" 

231 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Dennis  passed  a  restless  night,  waking  often,  to  wonder 
what  had  become  of  the  wanderer.  He  resolved  to  set 
out  himself  as  soon  as  dawn  broke,  and  take  advant- 
age of  his  knowledge  of  the  island  to  search  thoroughly. 
Finding  himself  unable  to  sleep  again,  he  got  up  while 
the  chine  was  still  in  darkness,  and  walked  to  the  edge 
of  the  cliff  overlooking  the  pool.  In  the  gloom  he  could 
just  see  the  dark  form  of  the  Maid  Marian;  but  then  he 
started,  rubbed  his  eyes,  looked  again,  and  felt  a  shock 
of  amazement  when  he  realized  that  the  other  vessel 
was  no  longer  there.  Next  moment  it  flashed  upon  him 
that  she  must  have  dragged  her  moorings  and  floated 
away  on  the  very  last  of  the  ebb-tide,  and  the  fact  that 
no  alarm  had  been  given  seemed  to  show  that  the 
watchers  had  fallen  asleep,  overcome  by  the  sweltering 
heat  of  the  tropical  night. 

Calling  to  Amos,  he  set  off  at  full  speed  down  the 
cliffs  toward  the  opening  of  the  gully,  narrowly  escap- 
ing a  serious  fall  in  the  darkness.  He  was  much  relieved 
to  see,  on  rounding  the  shoulder  of  the  cliff,  the  dark 
hull  of  the  vessel  in  front  of  him.  The  tide  was  so 
low  that  it  was  marvelous  she  had  floated  so  far  with- 
out grounding,  and  the  thought  that  she  might  strike 
a  reef  and  cause  further  delay  while  repairs  were  made 
prompted  a  vigorous  shout,  to  waken  the  neglectful 
watch  ere  it  was  too  late.  But  there  came  no  answering 
hail  from  the  vessel,  and  fearing  that,  even  if  she  did 
not  run  aground,  the  men  on  board  might  not  have 

232 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

sufficient  seamanship  to  bring  her  back  in  safety,  he 
dived  into  the  water  and  struck  out  in  her  wake. 

As  he  did  so,  he  heard  footsteps  behind  him,  two  or 
three  voices,  and  the  sound  of  another  splash.  Evidently 
some  one  had  followed  him.  The  Mirandola  was  moving 
very  slowly;  the  motion  of  the  tide  was  indeed  almost 
imperceptible,  and  Dennis,  being  a  good  swimmer,  soon 
came  under  her  counter.  Catching  hold,  by  a  happy 
chance  as  he  thought,  of  a  rope  that  had  formed  her 
mooring  cable,  he  swarmed  hand  over  hand  up  the  side 
and  on  to  the  deck.  But  no  sooner  had  his  feet  touched 
the  planks  than  two  figures  sprang  toward  him,  a  blanket 
was  thrown  over  his  head,  and  before  he  could  utter 
a  sound  he  was  flung  down,  gagged  and  pinioned. 

Even  through  the  thick  folds  of  the  blanket  Dennis 
was  able  to  hear  a  great  scuffling  on  board  within  a 
few  seconds  of  his  own  discomfiture.  Then  all  was 
still,  except  for  the  muffled  tones  of  his  captors'  voices. 
He  could  not  hear  what  they  said,  but  it  was  not  long 
before  he  knew  from  the  greater  motion  of  the  vessel 
that  they  must  have  hoisted  sail.  Not  for  a  moment 
did  he  doubt  the  meaning  of  it  all.  Who  but  Jan  Biddle 
and  his  fellow  malcontents  would  have  had  the  daring 
to  run  off  with  the  vessel?  The  man  was  a  ruffian  in 
looks,  and  Dennis  had  already  had  several  evidences 
of  his  turbulent  spirit.  And,  lying  helpless  and  half 
smothered  on  the  deck,  he  did  not  have  to  seek  far  for 
the  motive  of  the  act.  It  was  not  merely  chagrin  at 

233 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

being  denied  a  rank;  the  man  knew  that  there  were 
pearls  in  the  hold,  a  valuable  treasure,  and  his  treachery 
was  prompted  by  cupidity.  He  had  supposed,  Dennis 
suspected,  that  as  a  simple  mariner  among  the  crew 
he  would  get  but  a  small  portion  of  the  treasure  when 
it  should  be  divided,  and  had  persuaded  some  of  them  to 
make  this  attempt  to  secure  the  whole.  Angry  as  he  was, 
Dennis  could  not  withhold  a  certain  admiration  for  the 
man's  daring;  and  then  he  fell  a-wondering  why  he 
had  not  been  struck  on  the  head  and  killed  outright;  a 
ruffian  like  Biddle  would  hardly  have  spared  him  from 
any  feeling  of  compunction. 

How  long  Dennis  lay  half  stifled  under  the  blanket 
he  could  not  tell.  Hours  seemed  to  have  passed  when 
it  was  at  last  removed,  and  he  could  breathe  freely. 
And  there,  beside  him,  lay  Amos  Turnpenny,  gagged  like 
himself.  Jan  Biddle  and  several  of  his  comrades  stood 
over  them,  grinning  with  malicious  triumph. 

"Pegs,  Captain,"  said  the  man,  "you  do  seem  betoatled. 
Thought  the  vessel  had  broke  a-loose,  I  reckon.  And 
so  she  had — eh,  comrades?" 

"Ho,  ho!"  laughed  the  men,  vastly  appreciating  their 
leader's  joke. 

"Now,  we  be  eight,  young  master  Captain, — stout  fel- 
lows, but  a  small  crew  for  this  vessel.  You  be  in  our 
power,  you  and  Haymoss,  too,  for  all  he  be  a  rare 
fustilugs;  and  down  a-hold  lie  Bill  Hawk  and  Luke 
Fenton,  that  kept  but  a  ninny-watch  to  be  sure.  Where- 

234 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

fore  we  be  twelve  all  told,  enough  for  the  manage  of 
this  craft.  Haymoss  will  not  be  boatswain,  to  be  sure, 
nor  you  captain ;  I  be  captain ;  boatswain  is  French  Mich- 
el yonder;  but  'ee  can  take  your  choice — help  to  work 
this  vessel,  or  walk  the  plank.  Now  I  will  loose  your 
gags,  and  you  and  Haymoss  can  talk  the  matter  over, 
and  when  you've  made  up  your  minds  we'll  unbind  'ee, 
or  tumble  'ee  overboard,  according." 

Left  to  themselves,  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  were  not 
long  in  deciding  on  their  course  of  action.  They  were 
at  present  outnumbered;  they  had  to  accept  the  inevi- 
table. Their  assistance  would  be  very  valuable  in  the 
working  of  the  vessel,  and  Biddle,  in  spite  of  his  assured 
bearing,  was  by  no  means  so  confident  in  his  seamanship 
and  skill  as  he  appeared  to  be.  After  his  treacherous 
conduct  he  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Turnpenny 
would  lift  a  finger  to  make  good  his  deficiences;  on  the 
other  hand,  it  was  not  to  the  interest  of  the  prisoners 
that  the  ship  should  come  to  grief  through  mishandling, 
and  Biddle  knew  that  in  extremity  Turnpenny's  instinct 
of  seamanship  would  forbid  him  to  hold  aloof. 

But  while  Dennis  and  the  mariner  agreed  that  they 
had  no  choice  but  to  accept  the  position  with  what  grace 
they  might,  they  resolved  to  bide  their  time  for  getting 
the  vessel  again  under  their  control  and  returning  to 
the  island. 

"My  poor  comrades  and  me  be  parted  again,"  said 
Amos  with  a  sigh.  "  'Tis  true  it  will  not  be  so  bad 

235 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

for  them  upon  the  island  as  'twas  for  us.  But  there 
they  be  and  there  they  must  bide  until  we  can  fetch  'em 
off." 

"And  mayhap  the  Spaniards  will  land  before  we  can 
get  back  to  them,  and  then  God  help  the  poor  fellows! 
There  is  little  chance  we  two  can  overpower  these  eight 
villains ;  we  can  but  hope  on." 

Having  acquainted  Biddle  with  their  decision,  they 
were  cast  loose,  and  sat  beneath  the  break  of  the  poop 
watching  their  captors'  attempts  at  navigation.  The 
vessel  had  rounded  the  easternmost  point  of  the  island 
and  was  running  before  a  south-southwesterly  wind. 
But  it  made  little  progress;  as  the  day  wore  on,  the 
breeze  died  away,  and  the  island  was  still  in  sight  as 
the  sun  gradually  sank  in  the  western  sky.  The  muti- 
neers cast  somewhat  anxious  glances  around,  as  if  fear- 
ing that  the  comrades  they  had  betrayed  might  even 
now  find  some  means  of  following  them.  But  as  the 
island  gradually  faded  into  the  dusk  their  spirits  rose, 
and  having  broached  one  of  the  few  jars  of  wine  which 
had  been  left  in  the  cabin,  they  began  to  boast  of  the 
success  of  their  trick.  Biddle  even  acquainted  the  prison- 
ers with  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been  carried  out. 
In  the  darkness  they  had  surprised  the  watch  on  board, 
and  had  cut  the  cable  mooring  the  vessel  to  a  tree  at  the 
side  of  the  gully;  then  seven  of  them  had  lowered  the 
jolly-boat  and  in  it  towed  the  ship  past  the  shoulder  of 
the  cliff  until  the  sails  caught  the  wind  and  it  was  car- 

236 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

ried  free  of  the  shore.  He  told  Dennis  exultantly  that 
if  he  had  swum  out  three  or  four  minutes  earlier  the 
plot  would  have  been  defeated,  for  only  he  was  then 
on  board,  at  the  helm.  But  just  before  Dennis  scrambled 
on  board  the  others  had  clambered  up  by  the  fore  chains, 
and  his  cry  and  plunge  having  been  heard,  there  had 
been  time  to  arrange  for  his  reception. 

The  crescent  moon  which  had  somewhat  favored 
the  attack  on  the  fort  had  now  increased  in  size  and 
threw  a  thin  silvery  light  upon  the  sea.  Biddle,  among 
a  little  group  of  his  comrades,  was  still  recounting  his 
achievement  for  the  benefit  of  Dennis  and  Turnpenny 
when  the  lookout  shouted  that  he  spied  a  vessel  to  wind- 
ward. 

"What  care  I  for  a  vessel  to  windward!"  cried  the 
man.  "We'll  give  her  the  slip  in  the  dark.  I,  Jan  Biddle, 
be  captain  now;  ay,  what  did  Hugh  Curder  sing  t'other 
day? 

"  'Here  is  a  master  excelleth  in  skill, 

And  our  master's  mate  he  is  not  to  seek/ 

That  be  Dick  Rackstraw,  Haymoss,  a  merry  soul,  not 
a  glumping  galliment  like  'ee. 

"  'And  here  is  a  boatswain  will  do  his  good  will — ' 

Not  you,  Haymoss;  you  be  boatswain  no  longer;  'tis 
French  Michel,  a  deal  better  man. 
"'And  here  is  a  ship-boy — ' 

Why,  hang  me  if  we  won't  make  a  ship-boy  of  our  noble 

237 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

captain,  comrades.  Tis  a  stripling,  to  be  sure,  and  I 
warrant  will  be  none  the  worse  for  a  smitch  o'  tar  on 
his  fingers.  Yes,  we'll  make  him  ship-boy,  we  will  so. 
Ho!  ho! 

"'And  here  is  a  ship-boy — '" 

But  his  mirth  and  the  gleeful  shouts  of  the  others  were 
suddenly  checked  when  the  lookout  cried  that  he  saw  a 
second,  and  then  a  third  vessel.  Biddle  sprang  up  with 
an  oath  and  ran  to  the  bows.  What  he  saw  did  not  less- 
en his  alarm.  The  three  strangers  were  coming  upon 
a  broad  front;  half  a  mile  between  them.  They  were 
evidently  bringing  a  freshening  breeze  with  them,  for  they 
had  not  been  visible  when  darkness  first  fell.  It  was  clear 
to  a  mariner's  eye  that  the  bark  would  have  to  show  her 
best  sailing  powers  if  she  was  to  escape.  She  had  been 
sailing  under  foresail  and  mainsail  only,  but  now  in 
frantic  haste  the  crew,  in  obedience  to  Biddle's  orders, 
set  the  topsails  and  the  topgallants.  But  before  the 
effect  of  this  was  apparent  the  approaching  ships  had 
crept  up  within  gun  range.  It  was  not  long  in  doubt 
whether  they  had  seen  the  Mirandola  and  were  making 
straight  for  her.  A  flash  was  seen  from  the  bows  of 
one  of  the  vessels;  a  few  seconds  afterward  a  muffled 
roar  was  heard. 

"Blank  charge !"  said  Turnpenny  to  Dennis.  "  'Tis  a 
word  of  warning." 

Biddle  only  shouted  a  defiant  curse.  The  bark  was 

238 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

now  feeling  the  full  force  of  the  wind,  and  was  making 
good  headway.  It  appeared  likely  that,  running  before 
the  wind,  she  could  hold  her  own  with  the  strangers. 
A  little  later  another  gun  was  fired,  and  this  time  with 
no  harmless  intent,  for  there  was  a  great  splash  in  the 
water  a  little  ahead  of  the  Mirandola  on  the  starboard 
side.  After  a  short  interval,  a  third  discharge  shook  the 
air,  and  the  mutineers  raised  an  excellent  shout  when  they 
saw  the  splash  some  distance  astern.  It  was  clear  that, 
if  the  guns  had  been  fired  with  the  same  elevation,  the 
chase  was  drawing  away.  The  dropping  of  a  fourth  and 
fifth  shot  still  farther  astern  left  no  room  for  doubt. 

"What  say  you  now,  master  boatswain  as  was !"  cried 
Biddle  triumphantly.  "Bean't  Jan  Biddle  as  good  a 
mariner  as  Haymoss  Turnpenny? 

"  'Here  be  a  master  excelleth  in  skill.' " 

"My  heart!  it  be  a  true  saying,  don't  halloo  till  'ee  be 
out  o'  the  wood,"  said  Amos  grimly. 

"Zuggers!  But  you  be  a  molkit,  Haymoss,  a  molly- 
caudle,  to  be  sure.  Go  aft,  Haymoss,  and  cuddle  the 
ship-boy  and  say  your  prayers." 

Turnpenny  raised  his  arm  to  strike  the  insolent  fellow, 
but  Dennis  whispered  him  to  let  it  pass ;  there  was  noth- 
ing to  be  gained  by  a  fight  at  the  present  moment,  even 
supposing  they  prevailed  against  the  odds. 

Hour  after  hour  the  chase  continued.  The  moon  went 
down,  but  still  the  three  vessels  could  be  seen  in  the  dim 

239 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

starlight.  Clearly  the  Mirandola,  good  sailer  as  she  was, 
could  not  shake  them  off.  Biddle  ceased  to  boast;  his 
blustering  confidence  was  changing  to  dismay,  for  he 
now  perceived  that,  though  he  had  drawn  farther  and 
farther  away  from  the  vessel  that  had  fired,  her  consort 
to  windward  was  becoming  more  clearly  visible.  He  had 
not  reckoned  on  so  obstinate  a  chase;  moreover,  being 
unable  to  read  a  chart,  he  had  no  idea  whither  the  vessel 
was  heading.  There  was  no  chance  of  doubling.  To 
alter  the  course  would  be  to  lose  time,  and  allow  the 
persistent  pursuer  to  make  upon  her.  She  seemed  indeed 
to  be  gradually  decreasing  the  distance  between  them, 
though  the  other  two  were  out  of  sight. 

So  the  chase  went  on  through  the  hours  of  darkness, 
and  daybreak  showed  two  vessels  far  astern,  but  the 
third  without  doubt  creeping  up  slowly  but  surely. 
Biddle,  weary  with  the  long  night's  work,  was  in  a  sullen 
rage;  the  other  men  watched  the  pursuer  with  undis- 
guised terror ;  Dennis  and  Turnpenny,  holding  themselves 
aloof,  looked  on  with  curiosity  and  something  of  amuse- 
ment. 

"Jan  Biddle  be  no  fool,"  said  Turnpenny  once.  "I 
could  not  have  handled  the  craft  better  myself.  But  'tis 
not  an  end." 

Then,  when  the  spirits  of  the  crew  were  depressed  to 
the  lowest,  an  early  morning  mist  settled  down  upon  the 
sea,  blotting  the  pursuer  from  sight. 

"Jaykle!  'tis  a  mercy!"  cried  Biddle,  rousing  himself, 

240 


JAN  BIDDLE,  MASTER 

He  instantly  changed  the  course  of  the  vessel. 

"We'll  fool  them  this  mizzly  morn,"  he  said.  "Mum's 
the  word  now,  comrades." 

Dead  silence  was  maintained  on  board,  and  for  some 
hours  the  bark  made  steady  headway  due  north  through 
the  mist.  Dennis  could  not -but  admire  the  mutineer's 
fine  recklessness.  Without  any  sure  knowledge  of  his 
bearings  he  held  the  vessel  steadily  to  the  wind,  though 
she  might  at  any  moment  strike  a  coral  reef  or  even  run, 
aground  on  one  of  the  innumerable  islets  that  studded  the 
gulf.  He  was  bent  only  on  escaping  the  dreaded  grip 
of  the  Spaniards. 

At  length  the  fog,  dissipated  by  the  increasing  heat 
of  the  mounting  sun,  began  to  clear.  The  crew  strained 
their  eyes  through  the  eddying  mist,  to  assure  themselves 
that  the  pursuer,  as  they  hoped,  had  been  deluded  by  the 
change  of  course.  But  they  were  appalled,  and  looked 
from  one  to  another  with  a  gasp  of  dismay  when  they 
saw,  less  than  half  a  league  distant,  a  large  Spanish  gal- 
leon holding  exactly  the  same  course  as  themselves.  Far 
down  on  the  southern  horizon  another  sail  could  be  seen. 

"What  I'd  have  done  myself,"  said  Turnpenny  to  Den- 
nis. "The  Spanish  skipper  be  no  fool,  either.  When 
the  mist  came  down  he  guessed  the  maneuvers  of  Master 
Jan,  and  afore  he  was  closed  in  by  it  he  had  time  to 
signal  the  others  to  make  off,  one  east,  t'other  sou'east, 
while  he  held  on  the  same  course,  thereby  making  sure 
that  we'd  still  be  in  sight  of  one  or  other  of  'em  when 

241 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  mist  lifted.  Ah!  lookeedesee,  sir;  there's  a  flag 
a-running  up  the  galleon's  forepeak.  Tis  a  signal  to 
the  others  to  come  and  join  the  chase.  Be  jowned  if 
Jan  Biddle  hasn't  got  to  run  the  race  all  over  again !" 


CHAPTER   XVII 

THE  DEMI-CULVERIN 

Jan  Biddle's  face  was  the  image  of  despairing  rage 
when  he  saw  how  he  had  been  outwitted.  But  he  stuck 
gamely  to  the  helm.  The  Mirandola  was  now  carrying 
every  stitch  of  canvas  possible ;  her  only  chance,  and  that 
but  a  slight  one,  was  to  fly  on  before  the  wind.  Dennis 
was  tingling  with  excitement.  Here  was  the  bark,  cut- 
ting through  the  water  at  a  spanking  rate;  there  the 
larger  galleon,  speeding  after  her  under  press  of  sail, 
and  two  other  vessels  equally  large  coming  up  from  the 
south.  He  had  forgotten  that  he  was  a  prisoner — for- 
gotten everything  but  the  fact  that  the  implacable  enemy 
was  at  his  heels. 

Suddenly  he  saw  the  galleon  luff  up  in  the  wind,  and 
noticed  a  lift  of  the  foresail. 

"Now  she's  at  us!"  cried  Amos  at  his  elbow,  scarcely 
less  excited. 

From  the  bows  of  the  galleon  came  a  spout  of  white 
smoke,  blown  back  amid  the  sails  and  rigging,  and  dis- 
appearing in  a  long,  wispy  trail  to  leeward.  The  report 
of  a  gun  followed  close,  and  the  shot  plumped  into  the 
sea  less  than  twenty  yards  astern. 

243 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Be  jowned  if  it  do  not  put  me  in  mind  of  brave  doings 
on  the  Anne  Gallant,"  said  Turnpenny.  "  'Twas  well 
aimed;  an'  they  get  our  range,  'tis  heigh  for  our  pearls 
and  pieces-of-eight." 

A  second  shot  came,  falling  about  the  same  distance 
short  of  the  mark.  A  third  and  fourth  followed  at  inter- 
vals, neither  hitting  the  vessel,  each  failure  greeted  with 
a  yell  from  the  crew,  who  seemed  now  to  have  lost  their 
terror  in  the  sheer  excitement  of  the  chase.  On  swept 
the  gallant  Mirandola,  showers  of  spray  flashing  over 
her  bows,  her  slender  masts  swaying  and  creaking  under 
the  stress  of  her  bellying  canvas.  Then  a  shot  whistled 
over  the  masthead. 

1  "Too  high,  too  high !"  shouted  Amos.  "She's  got  our 
range  npw  to  a  surety ;  would  they  but  depress  the  gun 
and  our  cockle-shell  would  be  shivered  to  splinters.  Jan 
Biddle  be  a  better  man  than  I  took  him  for;  see  the 
sinews  of  his  arms  as  he  grips  the  helm.  My  heart !  but 
he  be  a  mazy  Jack  to  think  he  can  'scape  that  tantara- 
bobs.  Ah!" 

His  final  exclamation  was  occasioned  by  the  effect  of 
another  shot  from  the  enemy's  bow-chaser.  It  struck 
the  taffrail,  and  cast  up  a  huge  splinter  which  flew  straight 
across  the  poop.  Next  moment  Jan  Biddle  was  stretched 
senseless  beside  the  helm.  The  crew  were  aghast.  Bid- 
die  was  their  captain,  but  he  was  more ;  he  was  the  soul 
of  their  enterprise.  Without  him  they  were  as  a  flock 
of  sheep.  Not  a  man  of  them  was  fit  to  direct.  Some 

244 


THE  DEMI-CULVERIN 

cried  out  for  surrendering;  the  bolder  spirits  howled 
them  down,  swearing  it  were  better  to  sink  with  the 
ship  than  to  return  to  the  servitude  from  which  they  had 
but  lately  escaped.  When  Biddle  fell,  Amos,  with  the 
instinct  of  the  mariner,  had  rushed  down  the  vessel 
toward  the  unmanned  helm. 

"Sir,  'tis  our  turn,"  he  called  to  Dennis.  "Let  us  do 
what  we  can  to  save  this  vessel,  and  od-rabbit  the  muti- 
neers !"  He  leaped  to  the  helm,  seized  it  in  his  iron  grip, 
and  hauled  the  ship  once  more  into  the  wind. 

"See !"  said  Dennis  at  his  side.  "Yonder  streak  on  the 
horizon  is  surely  the  mainland.  Is  not  our  only  chance 
to  win  the  coast?  We  can  not  escape  by  mere  sailing, 
but  there  will  be  shallows  amid  which  perchance  we  may 
slip  away  as  at  Maiden  Isle.  Shall  we  not  attempt  it, 
Amos?" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir.  We'll  run  inshore,  and  methinks  I  know 
a  trick  will  help  us." 

At  this  moment  another  shot  fell  and  ploughed  up  the 
deck,  striking  up  a  shower  of  splinters  in  all  directions. 
Again  rose  cries  for  surrender;  but  Dennis  shouted  to 
the  frantic  men. 

"Amos  is  at  the  helm.  Amos  will  steer  us  to  land. 
Trust  to  him.  Remember  what  he  did  at  the  fort. 
Never  surrender  to  the  dogs  of  Spain.  We  will  'scape 
them  even  yet." 

At  his  words  they  plucked  up  heart;  all  they  wanted 
was  a  leader;  and  when  Turnpenny  declared  that  land 

245 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

was  in  sight,  and  that  he'd  be  j owned  if  he  didn't  cheat 
the  don  Spaniards,  they  answered  with  a  cheer. 

Outclassed  as  the  Mirandola  was  in  sailing  before  the 
wind,  it  occurred  to  Amos  that  she  might  show  to  better 
advantage  in  working  to  windward.  Accordingly  he 
altered  her  course  a  few  points.  The  immediate  effect 
was  that  the  enemy  gained  a  little,  and  with  a  broader 
target  succeeded  twice  in  hulling  the  vessel.  Apparently 
the  shots  did  little  damage,  for  she  still  rode  the  waters 
buoyantly,  and  after  some  time,  to  the  joy  of  the  crew, 
it  was  seen  that  the  gap  between  the  two  ships  was  sen- 
sibly widening.  But  now  a  more  serious  danger  threat- 
ened the  gallant  bark.  The  second  of  the  enemy's  vessels, 
which  was  some  distance  to  windward  when  the  mist 
lifted,  was  rapidly  making  toward  a  point  where  she 
might  intercept  the  Mirandola  and  drive  her  back  toward 
the  galleon  which  she  had  just  escaped.  Turnpenny's 
seamanship  was  capable  of  no  more.  To  tack  would  have 
been  to  run  into  the  lion's  jaws ;  to  bear  up  would  have 
been  equally  helpless;  all  he  could  do  was  to  stand  on, 
and  possibly  weather  the  vessel  ahead  on  the  lee  bow. 

He  explained  the  difficulty  to  Dennis,  who  was  still 
at  his  side.  Dennis  knew  no  trick  of  navigation  that 
would  meet  the  case ;  but,  racking  his  wits  to  find  some 
means  of  helping  the  hardy  mariner,  he  suddenly  asked 
himself  whether  it  were  not  possible  to  use  one  of  the 
guns  he  had  brought  as  trophies  from  the  fort.  They 
were  big  guns,  quite  disproportionate  to  so  small  a  vessel 

246 


THE  DEMI-CULVERIN 

as  the  Mirandola.  To  fire  them  might  do  more  damage 
to  her  than  to  the  enemy.  But  it  was  a  moment  when 
something  might  well  be  risked,  and  he  mentioned  his 
idea  to  Turnpenny. 

"Good  now,  'tis  a  brave  notion!"  cried  the  mariner. 
"Do  'ee  grab  the  helm,  sir;  head  her  straight  for  the 
coast;  Ise  warrant  'ee  I'll  soon  give  the  villain  a  mouth- 
ful of  iron." 

Amos  rushed  amidships,  called  all  the  crew  about  him, 
set  some  of  them  to  rig  up  the  tackle  blocks  by  which 
the  weapons  had  been  lowered  into  the  hold,  and  him- 
self knocked  up  the  hatch  and  descended.  His  first 
proceeding  was  to  unloose  William  Hawk  and  Luke 
Fenton,  the  two  men  who  had  been  surprised  by  the 
mutineers  and  had  since  lain  side  by  side  in  no  enviable 
state  of  mind  or  body. 

"Od-rabbit  'ee  for  a  brace  of  numbskulls!"  he  ex- 
claimed. "Get  'ee  up  and  come  show  a  leg,  now." 

With  their  assistance  he  swung  the  demi-culverin  by 
its  pomelion  and  the  men  above  hoisted  it  to  the  deck, 
the  carriage  followed,  then  its  ammunition,  and  Amos 
set  about  mounting  it.  There  was  no  time  to  lug  it  to 
the  quarter-deck.  Amos  ordered  the  men  to  place  the 
carriage,  consisting  of  two  "cheeks"  or  side  pieces  held 
together  by  thick  cross-pieces  of  wood,  on  the  waist; 
then  the  cannon  was  slung  on  to  it,  the  clamps  were 
fixed  over  the  trunnions,  and  a  quoin  was  driven  under 
the  gun  to  prevent  it  from  sagging  toward  the  breech. 

247 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

When  mounted  on  the  fort  it  had  not  been  secured  by 
breechings,  but  Amos  quickly  made  ready  a  length  of 
stout  rope,  fastened  one  end  to  the  gun,  and  clenched  the 
other  to  ring-bolts  in  the  vessel's  side.  This  would  check 
the  recoil  when  the  gun  was  fired. 

Amos  was  now  in  his  element.  He  had  not  been  for 
nothing  gunner's  mate  aboard  the  Anne  Gallant  twenty- 
five  years  before.  He  lost  no  time  in  loading  the  piece 
with  round  shot;  then,  all  being  ready,  he  ran  back  to 
instruct  Dennis  how  to  bring  the  vessel  round  when  he 
gave  the  word.  He  found  that  Biddle,  who  had  merely 
been  stunned  by  the  flying  splinter,  was  now  sitting  with 
his  back  against  the  taffrail,  watching  these  proceedings 
in  a  sullen  envy. 

"The  Spaniard  will  draw  closer  when  we  yaw,  sir," 
said  Amos,  "but  that  we  can  not  help;  and  'tis  a  mercy 
we  are  out  of  range  of  her  bow-chaser." 

"Is  she  not  beyond  the  range  of  our  guns,  Amos?" 

"Nare  a  bit,  sir.  Our  demi-culverin  is  bigger,  Ise 
warrant,  than  any  gun  she  has  aboard.  Point-blank  her 
range  be  a  hundred  fathoms;  but  I  reckon  I  can  hit  the 
knave  at  six  hundred  at  the  least.  Put  the  helm  hard 
up  when  I  call,  and  then  I'll  send  an  apple  aboard  will 
be  ill  to  digest." 

He  returned  to  the  gun,  and  sang  out  to  Dennis;  he 
put  up  the  helm,  the  vessel  yawed,  and  when  she  lay 
broadside  to  the  pursuer,  Amos  carefully  laid  the  piece, 
aiming  directly  at  the  foremast.  He  waited  till  the  vessel 

248 


THE  DEMI-CULVERIN 

rose  on  the  next  wave,  then  gave  the  word  to  William 
Hawk,  who  stood  by  the  breach  with  lighted  match.  The 
match  was  applied ;  there  was  a  deafening  roar,  followed 
by  a  sound  of  rending;  the  Mirandola  quivered  from 
stem  to  stern ;  and  through  the  smoke  it  was  seen  that  the 
gun  had  jumped  clean  out  of  the  carriage  and  was  lying 
against  the  step  of  the  mainmast.  Amos  ran  to  it  in 
haste,  fearing  that  it  might  have  burst  in  the  discharge. 
But  it  was  uninjured.  Several  planks  amidships  had 
been  started;  the  mainmast  was  cracked;  and  a  number 
of  round  shot  were  rolling  about  the  waist.  Amos 
shouted  to  the  men  to  remount  the  gun  and  sponge  it 
out,  while  he  ran  to  the  side  to  see  what  the  effect  of 
the  shot  had  been,  calling  to  Dennis  to  put  the  helm 
down  again  and  head  the  vessel  on  her  former  course. 

The  smoke  had  cleared  away,  and  Amos  saw  that  the 
pursuer  had  gained  considerably,  and  was  still  coming 
on,  apparently  undamaged.  But  a  few  minutes  later  he 
tittered  a  shout  of  glee.  There  was  a  bustle  in  the  fore- 
part of  the  Spanish  ship;  men  were  crowding  to  the 
gunwale;  and  Amos  perceived  that  they  were  letting  a 
sail  down  over  the  side. 

"I  hit  her  betwixt  wind  and  water,"  he  cried  to  Dennis. 
"They  are  letting  down  a  sail  to  stop  the  leak.  True, 
I  aimed  it  at  the  foremast,  but  she  rose  somewhat  quicker 
than  I  did  guess,  and  so  'scaped  with  a  hulling." 

"But  she  has  gained  on  us,  Amos.  The  hurt  she  has 
suffered  does  not  abate  her  speed." 

249 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Truly,  so  it  is,  but  I  will  give  her  another  so  soon  as 
the  gun  is  righted,  and  call  me  a  joulter-head  an'  I  do 
not  deal  her  such  a  blow  that  she'll  tottle  like  a  man 
fair  buddled." 

Dennis  called  to  Luke  Fenton  to  take  the  helm  while 
he  went  forward  to  scan  the  horizon  for  the  hazy  streak 
which  he  had  taken,  half  an  hour  before,  for  the  shore- 
line. He  had  barely  reached  the  cut-water  when  he 
heard  the  roar  of  a  gun  and  the  sound  of  a  crashing 
blow.  For  an  instant  the  vessel's  head  fell  off,  and, 
turning  hastily,  he  saw  Jan  Biddle  rushing  to  the  helm. 
A  round  shot  from  the  enemy's  bow-chaser  had  fallen 
smack  upon  the  poop,  smashing  the  binnacle,  and  killing 
poor  Fenton  instantly.  Only  Biddle's  prompt  action  had 
saved  the  ship  from  yawing  and  presenting  her  broad- 
side to  the  pursuer. 

Seeing  that  the  helm  was  in  safe  hands,  Dennis  turned 
once  more  and  glanced  anxiously  toward  the  shore,  which 
was  now  beginning  to  loom  large  to  windward.  Was  it 
possible,  he  wondered,  to  reach  it  before  he  could  be 
cut  off  by  the  second  Spanish  vessel?  He  measured  the 
distance  with  his  eye,  and  his  heart  sank  as  he  perceived 
that,  if  she  held  her  present  course,  the  Spaniard  could 
not  fail  to  run  across  the  bows  of  the  Mirandola  long 
before  she  could  gain  the  coast.  It  seemed  that  he  must 
choose  between  surrendering  and  fighting  against  heavy 
odds.  But  certainly  one  ship  would  be  easier  to  deal 
with  than  two;  might  not  another  fortunate  shot  from 

250 


THE  DEMI-CULVERIN 

the  demi-culverin  cripple  the  vessel  in  chase,  and  so 
enable  the  Mirandola  to  get  away  from  one  of  her  pur- 
suers ?  Dennis  did  not  forget  that  there  was  still  a  third 
vessel  somewhere  to  leeward,  but  she  was  at  present  out 
of  sight. 

By  this  time  the  gun  had  been  righted  and  reloaded. 
Dennis  hastened  to  rejoin  Amos. 

"Shall  I  take  the  helm  again,  or  leave  it  to  Biddle?" 
he  asked. 

"Pegs,  I  say  leave  it  to  him,  and  do  'ee  take  the  match, 
sir.  Ise  warrant  'ee'd  be  quicker  than  Billy  Hawk. 
Biddle  will  port  the  helm  when  I  give  the  word ;  he  hates 
you  and  me,  but  he  hates  the  Spaniards  worse." 

This  time  the  gun  had  been  loaded  with  chain  shot. 
At  a  hail  from  Amos,  Biddle  put  the  helm  down,  the 
vessel  swung  round,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  broadside  to 
the  enemy  Amos  carefully  laid  the  gun,  loosening  the 
quoin,  and  thereby  elevating  the  muzzle,  which  he  pointed 
straight  for  the  pursuers'  foremast.  But  the  enemy  was 
now  more  alert.  At  the  first  sign  of  the  Mirandola 
yawing,  the  galleon  began  to  swing  round  by  the  stern, 
so  that  the  two  vessels  came  broadside  on  within  a  few 
moments  of  each  other.  Those  few  moments  gave  time 
for  Amos  to  resight  his  gun.  Dennis  stood  ready,  match 
in  hand. 

"Now!"  said  the  mariner,  as  the  Mirandola  sank  on 
the  roll  while  the  galleon  rose. 

The  gun  spoke.  Only  a  second  or  two  later  it  seemed 

251 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

to  the  crew  of  the  Mirandola  that  the  end  of  all  things 
must  have  come.  With  a  thunderous  roar  the  whole 
broadside  of  the  enemy  burst  upon  them.  Some  of  the 
enemy's  shots  passed  clean  over  the  smaller  vessel;  her 
masts  almost  miraculously  escaped  harm,  but  her  hull 
was  struck  in  half  a  dozen  places,  and  her  long  boat 
splintered  to  atoms.  And  the  big  gun,  breaking  loose 
from  its  extemporized  breechings,  recoiled  obliquely 
across  the  waist,  smashed  through  the  forecastle,  and 
plunged  with  a  resounding  splash  into  the  sea.  Some  of 
the  men  were  groaning  in  pain;  the  Frenchmen  were 
flat  on  their  faces  beseeching  the  saints;  Dennis  found 
himself  in  a  heap  by  the  break  of  the  poop;  for  the 
moment  Amos  was  not  to  be  seen. 

Dennis  picked  himself  up  and  peered  through  the 
smoke  to  see  whether  the  enemy  had  suffered  any  hurt. 
To  his  joy  he  saw  that  both  the  foremast  and  the  main- 
mast of  the  galleon  had  been  shattered.  Turnpenny's 
shot  had  cut  away  the  shrouds  of  the  foremast,  causing 
this  to  snap  off,  and  struck  the  mainmast  fair  and  square. 
The  enemy's  decks  were  smothered  under  a  medley  of 
spars  and  rigging;  it  was  clear  that  the  galleon  was  out 
of  action,  and  already  the  Mirandola  was  rapidly  draw- 
ing away.  This  her  crew  perceived,  and  the  air  was  rent 
with  a  tremendous  shout  of  triumph. 

But  their  exultation  was  short-lived.  Half  a  minute 
later  Amos  came  up  the  hatchway  and  hurried  aft. 

"Sir,  there  be  three  terrible  rents  in  the  hull  below 

252 


THE  DEMI-CULVERIN 

water.  I  feared  as  much  when  I  felt  the  shots  strike  the 
vessel.  The  galleon's  masts  must  have  fallen  just  as  the 
knaves  were  a-firing,  and  so  the  most  of  her  shots  struck 
us  low." 

"Can  we  stop  the  leaks?" 

"I  fear,  I  fear !    But  we'll  try." 

In  a  few  minutes  a  sail  was  lowered  over  the  side,  and 
at  the  same  time  two  of  the  men  ran  below  and  tried  to 
stop  the  leaks  from  the  inside.  But  in  spite  of  all  efforts 
the  water  gained,  and  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour  it 
was  plain  to  all  on  board  that  the  vessel  must  founder 
unless  she  could  be  run  ashore  in  time. 

While  the  men  were  still  doing  their  best  to  check  the 
inrush  of  the  water,  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  went  forward 
to  calculate  their  chances. 

'  'Tis  a  good  ten  mile  away,"  said  Turnpenny,  "and 
we  be  going  slower  every  minute." 

"True.  But  see,  the  other  vessel  yonder,  that  might 
have  cut  us  oft",  has  altered  her  course.  She  is  standing 
to  her  consort's  aid." 

"God  be  praised  for  that,  but  I  fear  we  shall  be  water- 
logged in  no  little  time,  and  then  she  can  overhaul  us 
at  her  ease.  In  an  hour  we  must  take  to  the  jolly-boat. 
'Tis  a  God's  mercy  that  was  not  smashed  up  like  the 
long-boat." 

"Then  we'll  put  our  stores  aboard  her  at  once,  so  that 
we  lose  no  time  when  the  moment  comes.  And  I  do  not 
give  up  hope,  even  now,  of  running  the  bark  ashore." 

253 


ON   THE    SPANISH    MAIN 

But  in  half  an  hour  it  was  clear  that  the  case  was 
hopeless.  The  men  came  running  from  below  with  the 
news  that  the  water  was  gaining  more  and  more  rapidly ; 
the  vessel  was  settling  down;  her  motion  had  almost 
ceased.  And  the  situation  was  rendered  the  more  alarm- 
ing by  the  fact  that  during  this  half -hour  the  uninjured 
galleon,  having  found  apparently  that  her  consort  was  in 
no  immediate  danger  of  sinking,  had  again  altered  her 
course  and  was  now  in  hot  pursuit.  It  was  to  be  a  race 
to  the  shore. 

The  jolly-boat  had  already  been  stored  with  provis- 
ions, water,  and  a  number  of  calivers  with  their  ammu- 
nition. At  the  last  moment  Dennis  and  Turnpenny 
brought  from  below  the  bags  of  pearls  from  the  cabin. 
in  which  they  had  been  locked.  Then  Dennis  ordered 
the  boat  to  be  lowered,  the  crew  quickly  went  down  the 
side  and  entered  her.  Two  of  the  men  had  been  so 
badly  hurt  by  the  enemy's  shots  that  they  had  to  be 
lowered  into  the  boat.  Fenton  was  dead,  so  that  the 
whole  effective  company  now  numbered  only  nine  men. 
The  wounded  men  were  laid  in  the  bows,  Dennis  took 
the  tiller,  and  the  remaining  eight  gave  way  with  a  will, 
knowing  that  hanging  would  be  their  mildest  fate  if  they 
fell  again  into  the  enemy's  hands. 


254 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

JUAN  THE   MAROON 

It  was  now  past  midday,  and  the  sun's  rays  beat  down 
upon  them  with  cruel  power.  Yet  none  of  them  was 
glad  when  the  wind  freshened,  bringing  a  touch  of  cool- 
ness; for  it  filled  the  sails  of  the  vessel  in  chase,  which 
loomed  ever  larger  and  larger  in  their  wake.  The  land 
appeared  to  be  very  close,  but  to  Dennis'  anxious  eyes 
it  scarcely  seemed  to  grow  closer.  For  mile  after  mile 
the  rowers  toiled  on  in  the  sweltering  heat.  Dennis  ven- 
tured to  leave  the  tiller  for  a  few  moments  to  give  them 
water  when  they  flagged.  One  of  the  men  collapsed, 
and  Dennis  crawled  to  his  thwart  and  took  his  oar, 
bidding  him  go  to  the  tiller.  So  the  chase  went  on,  until, 
when  the  boat  was  still  more  than  a  mile  from  land,  the 
enemy  began  to  fire.  The  mere  sight  of  the  shots 
splashing  in  the  sea  astern  stirred  the  wearied  rowers 
to  renewed  efforts.  When,  after  a  few  minutes,  a  shot 
fell  immediately  in  their  wake,  sending  up  a  terrific 
burst  of  spray,  their  energy  seemed  to  be  doubled  again. 

Dennis  now  had  his  back  to  the  shore.  It  could  not, 
he  thought,  be  more  than  half  a  mile  away;  how  far 
would  the  enemy  venture  to  follow  them?  Surely  she 

255 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

would  not  come  much  farther  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
running  aground  on  a  shoal.  He  saw  a  man  at  the  chains 
taking  soundings.  Then  suddenly  the  vessel  was  thrown 
into  the  wind,  and  she  fired  the  whole  of  her  broadside, 
in  the  hope,  no  doubt,  that  at  least  one  shot  would  strike 
the  target.  The  men  were  so  played  out  that  they  were 
not  able  even  to  raise  a  feeble  cheer  when  they  found 
that  they  had  escaped  scot-free.  Any  gladness  they  may 
have  felt  was  extinguished  as  soon  as  the  smoke  cleared 
away  and  the  enemy  perceived  that  they  had  failed  to 
hit  the  boat.  The  galleon  had  broached  to ;  the  Spaniard 
was  lowering  his  boats;  and  in  a  few  minutes  all  three, 
long-boat,  cock-boat,  and  jolly-boat,  crowded  with  men, 
came  sweeping  across  the  water. 

But  they  were  as  yet  half  a  mile  away;  looking  over 
his  shoulder,  Dennis  judged  that  his  boat  was  now  within 
less  than  a  quarter  mile  of  the  shore.  Calling  cheerfully 
to  the  men  for  a  final  spurt,  he  bade  the  steersman  run 
them  aground  on  the  first  shoal  or  spit  of  land  that  pre- 
sented itself.  A  minute  later  the  boat  was  brought  up 
with  a  jerk.  The  men  flung  down  their  oars  and  began 
with  desperate  haste  to  gather  up  some  of  the  stores  and 
the  weapons. 

"Billy  Hawk,  take  the  treasure,"  said  Turnpenny. 

But  Biddle  was  too  quick  for  him.  Hawk  managed  to 
secure  one  of  the  goatskin  bags;  Biddle  seized  the  two 
others.  There  was  no  time  to  make  any  alteration. 
Trembling  with  their  exertions,  the  men  were  staggering 

256 


JUAN  THE  MAROON 

up  the  beach,  some  loaded  with  articles  from  the  boat, 
some  carrying  the  two  wounded  men.  Amos,  remaining 
till  the  last,  drove  a  boat  anchor  through  the  bottom  and 
hastened  after  the  others.  But  the  Spaniards'  boats,  fully 
manned  with  crews  fresh  and  vigorous,  had  sped  over 
the  water  at  a  tremendous  rate,  and  it  seemed  to  Dennis, 
looking  back  and  marking  how  near  they  were  to  land, 
that,  after  all,  he  and  his  party  stood  but  a  poor  chance 
of  getting  away.  In  the  three  boats  there  were  at  least 
sixty  well-armed  men.  It  was  clearly  their  intention  to 
run  ashore  and  continue  the  pursuit  on  land.  Within 
half  an  hour  they  must  be  upon  them. 

There  was  only  a  narrow  strip  of  beach.  The  thick 
vegetation  came  down  almost  to  the  water's  edge.  It 
was  a  wild  part  of  the  shore ;  not  a  path  was  to  be  seen 
through  the  undergrowth,  and  beyond  rose  the  forest. 
But  the  foremost  of  the  fugitives  had  struck  out  a  way 
for  themselves  through  the  plants,  and  Dennis  and  Turn- 
penny hurried  along,  bringing  up  the  rear. 

The  fugitives  were  greatly  impeded  by  the  necessity 
of  carrying  the  wounded  men  and  the  stores.  Even  when 
they  reached  the  forest,  where  there  was  less  under- 
growth, their  pace  must  be  slower  than  that  of  the 
Spaniards,  who  had  only  their  arms  to  carry.  And  to 
avoid  them  was  quite  impossible,  for  the  Spaniards  were 
not  unused  to  tracking  runaway  slaves,  and  would  not 
fail  to  follow  up  the  broad  trail  left  by  the  party. 

"  Tis  vain  to  go  farther,"  said  Dennis  to  A^os.  as 

257 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

they  hastened  on.  "We  must  be  caught.  And  we  shall 
need  all  the  poor  remnant  of  our  strength.  Yonder  is  a 
thick  clump  of  bush  where  with  our  calivers  we  may 
perchance  give  pause  to  our  enemy.  I  will  run  on  and 
tell  our  comrades  to  betake  themselves  thither." 

"Ay,  do  so;  though  meseems  'tis  but  to  stay  for  our 
death.  You  be  lighter  of  foot  than  me.  I  will  go  into 
the  thicket  and  there  hide." 

Dennis  ran  forward,  but  had  not  gone  far  when  he 
found  the  two  wounded  men  lying  on  the  ground,  deserted 
by  their  bearers;  the  rest  of  the  party  had  disappeared. 
Part  of  the  stores  also  had  been  abandoned.  Clearly 
the  men  had  bolted,  perhaps  in  panic  fright  at  some 
noise  in  the  forest,  perhaps —  Dennis  saw  in  a  flash 
the  explanation.  Among  the  things  abandoned  there 
was  no  sign  of  the  bags  of  treasure.  Even  at  this  criti- 
cal moment  Jan  Biddle's  cupidity  had  got  the  better  of 
all  other  feelings,  and  he  had  made  off  with  the  booty 
and  his  fellow-mutineers. 

Dennis  bent  over  the  wounded  men.  One  was  past 
help;  the  shock  of  being  left  to  his  fate  had  hastened 
the  end  that  was  probably  in  any  case  inevitable.  The 
other  man  Dennis  helped  to  bring  back  to  where  Amos 
had  taken  up  his  position. 

"Where  be  Billy  Hawk,  then  ?"  said  Turnpenny,  when 
Dennis  had  acquainted  him  with  what  had  happened. 
"He  had  one  of  the  bags  of  pearls.  Od-rat-'en  for  a 
faggett!" 

258 


JUAN  THE  MAROON 

But  his  attention  was  immediately  diverted  from  Billy 
Hawk's  shortcomings  by  the  sight  of  the  enemy  making 
their  way  through  the  trees.  Dennis  and  the  mariner 
had  no  hope  of  saving  themselves.  They  two  could  not 
contend  long  with  numbers  so  overwhelming.  But  they 
were  resolved  not  to  surrender.  They  knew  well — 
Amos  by  experience,  Dennis  by  the  tales  he  had  heard 
— what  their  fate  would  be  as  captives.  Their  whole 
aim  was  to  sell  their  lives  as  dearly  as  might  be. 

Amos  had  already  kindled  matches  for  their  calivers. 
These  as  they  burned  gave  out  an  acrid  smoke  which  was 
bound  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  Spaniards  if  they 
came  near.  Confident  of  their  immense  superiority  in 
point  of  numbers,  even  if  the  whole  band  of  fugitives 
stood  up  against  them,  the  enemy  were  pressing  forward 
without  caution.  Dennis  for  a  moment  debated  with 
himself  whether  to  fire  on  them  or  to  let  them  pass. 
He  owed  nothing  to  Jan  Biddle  and  the  mutineers. 
Twice  had  they  behaved  treacherously  toward  him ;  they 
would  receive  no  more  than  their  deserts  if  he  allowed 
the  Spaniards  to  go  by  unmolested.  But  then  he  re- 
flected that,  after  all,  some  of  the  fugitives  were  his 
fellow-countrymen;  all  had  been  miserable  slaves;  and 
what  he  had  learned  of  the  Spaniards'  dealings  with 
those  in  their  power  made  him  regard  them  as  enemies 
of  mankind. 

Turnpenny  for  his  part  had  no  scruples.  To  him,  as 
to  the  majority  of  the  Englishmen  of  his  time,  the  Span- 

259 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

iard  was  a  hateful  oppressor,  who  appropriated  the 
riches  of  the  New  World  in  order  to  set  the  nations  of  the 
Old  by  the  ears.  Even  if  he  had  not  suffered  personally 
at  their  hands,  the  whole  race  of  Spaniards  was  in  his 
eyes  no  better  than  vermin.  So  when  Dennis  gave 
the  word,  he  leveled  his  caliver  with  good  will  at  the 
body  of  men  that  presented  so  easy  a  target  as  they 
came  hurrying  through  the  forest.  The  two  fired  to- 
gether; one  man  fell;  the  rest  halted,  looking  about 
them  with  an  air  of  fright  that  set  Dennis  mightily  won- 
dering. While  they  hesitated,  Amos  and  he  reloaded 
with  what  haste  they  might,  and  had  not  completed  that 
troublesome  process  when  the  enemy,  plucking  up  cour- 
age, advanced  again  in  somewhat  more  extended  order, 
firing  as  they  marched.  Bullets  pattered  on  the  tree- 
trunks  all  around.  Dennis  had  come  scatheless  through 
the  action  at  sea,  but  now  he  felt  a  burning  pang  in  his 
forearm,  and  saw  that  the  sleeve  of  his  doublet  was 
singed.  But  at  the  same  moment  he  heard  a  deep  sigh 
from  the  wounded  man  who  lay  at  his  feet.  The  poor 
wretch  had  again  been  hit.  There  was  no  time  to  attend 
either  to  him  or  to  his  own  wound,  for  the  Spaniards, 
taking  heart  from  the  cessation  of  the  fire  from  the 
copse,  were  preparing  to  make  a  rush. 

By  this  time  both  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  had  reloaded, 
and  stood  waiting  to  make  a  last  stand  against  what 
they  felt  must  be  an  irresistible  attack.  To  their  amaze- 
ment, however,  just  when  they  were  expecting  to  hear 

260 


the  order  to  charge,  they  saw  that  a  number  of  the 
enemy  had  swung  round,  and  were  facing  towards  the 
coast,  the  direction  in  which  they  had  come.  Next  mo- 
ment there  was  a  yell  from  among  the  trees:  "Yo  peho! 
Yo  peho!"  The  strange  cry  was  taken  up  at  point  after 
point,  until  the  whole  surrounding  forest  seemed  to  ring 
with  fierce  whoops  and  battle-cries.  Then  they  caught 
sight  of  dark  figures  flitting  among  the  trees  beyond  the 
Spaniards,  who  had  now  clearly  given  up  the  idea  of 
advancing  and  were  crowded  in  a  serried  mass  to  meet 
another  foe.  There  was  the  sharp  crackle  of  firearms, 
followed  by  the  twang  of  bow-strings.  A  long  arrow 
whizzed  past  Dennis'  ear,  perilously  close.  The  new- 
comers had  formed,  as  it  seemed,  an  immense  semi- 
circle about  the  Spaniards;  several  of  these  had  fallen, 
and  the  semicircle  seemed  to  be  drawing  ever  closer. 

"The  maroons!     O  Jaykle!"  whispered  Turnpenny. 

Driven  together  now  into  a  compact  body,  the  Span- 
iards fired  a  volley.  Before  the  smoke  had  cleared  away, 
from  all  around  the  maroons,  dusky  forms  clad  in  smocks 
that  reached  their  knees,  were  among  them.  Then  began 
a  desperate  hand-to-hand  fight.  The  Spaniards,  in  their 
turn  outnumbered  by  three  to  one,  were  wielding  their 
swords  with  the  courage  of  despair  against  the  javelins 
of  their  furious,  yelling  enemy,  striving  to  break  through 
the  ring. 

"Yo  peho!  Yo  peho!"  The  maroon  war-cry  rose  now 
fiercer  and  fiercer.  It  was  an  affair  of  a  few  minutes. 

261 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Half  of  the  Spaniards  were  on  the  ground ;  the  survivors 
broke  and  scattered,  some  speeding  towards  the  copse, 
forgetful  that  their  first  check  had  come  from  thence. 
Turnpenny  leveled  his  caliver  and  fired  at  the  foremost 
of  them. 

"Shoot  'em,  sir!"  he  cried  to  Dennis,  who  had  hesi- 
tated, feeling  some  compunction.  "Shoot  'em,  or  we 
shall  have  the  maroons  in  upon  us,  and  they  will  not 
stop  to  ask  our  names." 

Dennis  fired.  The  Spaniards  broke  away  to  the  left, 
and  dashed  into  the  forest,  pursued  hotly  by  the  exultant 
maroons.  Seeing  that  the  tide  had  passed  them  by, 
Turnpenny  stepped  out  into  the  open  and,  raising  his 
arms,  shouted  "Amigos!"  at  the  top  of  his  voice  to  the 
maroons  within  hail.  One  or  two  let  fly  their  arrows 
at  him ;  some  were  about  to  fire ;  but  a  big  fellow  among 
them  called  loudly  to  them  in  a  tongue  that  the  English- 
man did  not  understand. 

"My  heart,  'tis  Juan !"  cried  Turnpenny,  and  •  as  the 
man  advanced  toward  them  Dennis  recognized  the  leader 
of  the  maroons  he  had  rescued  on  the  island — the  man 
who  had  with  Amos  supported  the  ladder  for  his  climb 
into  Fort  Aguila. 

Juan  shook  hands  with  them  with  every  sign  of  de- 
light. While  the  others  continued  the  pursuit,  he  ex- 
plained to  Amos  that  his  attention  had  been  attracted 
by  the  sound  of  firing  at  sea,  and  from  a  point  some  dis- 
tance along  the  coast  he  had  watched,  from  among  the 

263 


JUAN  THE  MAROON 

trees,  the  race  in  the  boats.  Never  loath  to  seize  a 
chance  of  striking  a  blow  at  the  hated  Spaniards,  he  had 
hurried  with  his  comrades  along  the  fringe  of  forest. 
He  was  overjoyed  to  think  that  the  men  whom  his  sud- 
den onslaught  had  saved  were  his  old  friends  and  the 
leaders  of  the  attack  on  Fort  Aguila.  He  invited  them  to 
accompany  him  to  his  village,  deep  in  the  forest,  and 
wound  a  horn  to  recall  his  comrades.  Within  a  few 
minutes  they  were  all  assembled.  The  Englishmen  rec- 
ognized among  them  some  who  had  been  with  them  at 
the  attack  on  the  fort.  Soon  they  were  on  the  march. 
They  took  no  prisoners ;  it  was  not  the  maroons'  way  to 
spare  any  Spaniards  who  fell  into  their  hands.  Four 
of  them  carried  the  twice  wounded  sailor,  but  ere  they 
had  gone  far  he  succumbed  to  his  hurts,  and  they  buried 
him  under  leaves  in  the  forest.  There  was  little  formality 
about  death  during  these  active  days. 

An  hour's  march  brought  them  to  the  maroons'  vil- 
lage, built  on  a  hillside  circled  by  a  narrow  river.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  broad  dike,  and  a  mud  wall  ten  feet 
high.  It  had  one  long  street  and  two  cross  streets,  very 
clean  and  tidy ;  and  the  huts  of  mud  and  wattle,  thatched 
with  palm-leaves,  and  with  doors  of  bamboo,  were  kept 
with  a  neatness  that  surprised  the  Englishmen,  who 
mentally  contrasted  them  with  the  dirty  cottages  of 
laborers  at  home.  Juan  made  them  very  welcome,  sup- 
plying them  with  feast  of  wild  hog,  turkeys,  oranges 
and  other  pleasant  fruits. 

263 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

*T  feck,  it  be  a  dinner  fit  for  a  lord,"  said  Turnpenny 
appreciatively. 

He  related  the  events  that  had  brought  them  to  the 
straits  in  which  Juan  had  found  them.  When  the  ma- 
roon learned  that  some  of  their  party  had  deserted  with 
the  treasure,  he  despatched  a  band  .of  his  men  to  follow 
them  up,  and  then  he  told  his  visitors  a  piece  of  news  that 
mightily  cheered  them.  El  Draque,  he  said,  the  Dragon, 
the  great  English  sea  captain,  had  lately  raided  Nombre 
de  Dios,  the  port  whence  the  great  treasure  fleets  were 
wont  to  sail  for  Spain.  Then  he  had  disappeared.  The 
Spaniards  were  in  a  state  of  nervous  dread.  So  bold, 
so  sudden  were  his  movements,  that  not  a  settlement  on 
the  coast  but  what  lived  in  constant  terror  of  his  appear- 
ance. The  very  mystery  that  surrounded  him,  their 
ignorance  of  his  whereabouts,  added  to  the  fear  his  name 
inspired. 

"They  do  not  know  where  he  is,"  said  Juan  with  a 
chuckle;  "but  I  know.  He  is  a  long  day's  march  from 
this  place,  in  a  little  harbor  that  no  passing  ship  can  spy. 
And  there  he  waits  till  he  can  swoop  like  a  jaguar  on 
the  dogs  of  Spain." 

"My  heart,  it  be  joyful  tidings !"  said  Turnpenny.  "I 
knew  Master  Francis  would  come  again  to  these  shores, 
to  have  a  proper  tit-for-tat  for  the  base  dealings  of 
the  Spaniards  at  St.  John  d'Ulua.  Good-now,  sir,  shall 
we  take  a  journey  and  see  the  worthy  captain,  and  per- 
adventure  join  with  him  in  spoiling  the  knaves?" 

264 


JUAN  THE  MAROON 

"With  all  my  heart,  Amos,"  replied  Dennis.  "With- 
out doubt  Juan  will  furnish  us  with  a  guide." 

Turnpenny  spoke  to  the  maroon. 

"Better  than  that!"  he  said,  after  a  brief  colloquy. 
"He  says  he  will  e'en  come  himself  with  a  party.  Master 
Francis,  he  says,  does  hurt  to  no  woman  nor  unarmed 
man ;  he  is  kind  to  the  maroons ;  and  not  a  man  of  them 
but  loves  him  and  would  serve  him  to  the  death.  Ay, 
sure,  a  noble  man  is  Master  Francis,  that  loves  God  and 
hates  the  Spaniards;  and  Ise  warrant  we  could  do 
naught  better  than  join  ourselves  to  him.  Crymaces! 
he  will  list  with  a  ready  ear  to  the  tale  of  our  adven- 
tures." 

"  'Twill  be  overlong  for  the  captain,"  said  Dennis,  with 
a  smile.  "But  I  would  fain  see  him  and  speak  with 
him,  for  he  may  perchance  spare  a  vessel  to  go  seek  for 
our  poor  comrades  penned  up  in  Maiden  Isle." 

"God-a-mercy,  I  had  a'most  forgotten,  sir.  True,  there 
be  Tom  Copstone  and  Hugh  Curder  and  Ned  Whiddon, 
all  lone  and  lorn.  Master  Francis  will  help  us  to  save 
them,  or  he  be  no  true  man." 


265 


CHAPTER   XIX 
DRAKE'S  CAMP 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  thereafter, 
Dennis  and  Turnpenny,  with  Juan  and  a  company  of 
maroons,  came  to  the  outskirts  of  a  large  clearing  at  a 
little  recess  of  the  shore.  A  bark  and  three  trim  little 
pinnaces  lay  rocking  in  a  secluded  roadstead.  Neatly 
thatched  huts  of  the  maroons'  pattern  bordered  the  clear- 
ing. At  one  end  of  it  stood  two  archery  butts  at  which 
men  were  shooting;  a  smith  was  lustily  plying  his  sledge 
at  an  anvil;  and  in  the  middle,  on  a  stretch  of  sward, 
two  stalwart  bearded  figures  were  disporting  themselves 
at  a  game  of  bowls. 

'T  fegs,  'tis  very  like  home,"  said  Turnpenny.  "'Tis 
Master  Francis  himself,  as  I  live,  and  Master  John  Ox- 
nam,  a  gallant  soul;  and  there  be  Master  John  Drake, 
the  captain  his  brother,  and  a  very  worthy  gentleman. 
And  Bob  Pike,  busy  with  the  rum-bowl — a  good  man 
when  not  betoatled  with  the  drink.  And  O  cryal !  look- 
eedesee,  sir;  Bob  hath  a  monkey  at  his  elbow,  and  hang 
me  if  he  be  not  teaching  the  poor  beast  the  taste  of  rum. 
O  Bobby,  Bobby,  the  drink  will  be  your  undoing,  an  ye 
have  not  a  care.  They  spy  us,  sir;  'tis  a  right  merry 
sight,  good-now,  and  warming  to  the  heart." 

266 


DRAKE'S  CAMP 

A  maroon  came  from  among  the  company  to  meet 
them.  He  greeted  Juan  warmly,  looking  with  surprise 
and  curiosity  at  his  white  companions.  Then  they  ad- 
vanced into  the  clearing.  Bob  Pike,  a  red-faced  mariner, 
sitting  on  a  tub,  looked  up  as  they  approached,  and 
raised  his  bowl  unsteadily,  singing: 

"Let  us  laugh,  and  let  us  quaff, 
Good  drinkers  think  none  ill-a. 

"Welcome,  Haymoss ;  I  know  not  where  'ee  come  from, 
but  here  be  a  sup  for  'ee,  comrade. 

"Let  us  trip,  and  let  us  skip, 
And  let  us  drink  our  fill-a, 

"Why,  what  ha'  taken  the  wink-a-puss?" 
His  exclamation  was  occasioned  by  a  surprising  ac- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  monkey  that  had  been  crouching 
at  his  feet.  With  a  chatter  of  delight  the  animal  had 
sprung  up  and  was  bounding  on  all  fours  towards  Den- 
nis. Next  moment  it  was  on  his  shoulder,  stroking  his 
cap  with  its  paw. 

"Fi,  Mirandola,"  said  Dennis,  with  a  laugh,  "hast 
forgot  my  admonitions  to  soberness?  Has  all  thy  phi- 
losophy and  my  instruction  not  steeled  thee  against 
temptation?" 

"My  thirst  to  staunch,  I'll  fill  my  paunch 
With  jolly  good  ale  and  old" 

267 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

sang  Bob  Pike;  "though  in  truth  it  be  new  rum,  for  ale, 
under  this  sky,  would  turn  as  sour  as  whey.  Come  now, 
Haymoss,  come  and  take  a  sup  with  me,  soul. 

"I  drink  to  you  with  all  my  heart, 
If  you  will  pledge  me  the  same." 

"Stint  it,  stint  it,  Robert  Pike,"  said  the  elder  of  the 
two  players,  looking  up.  "You'll  be  but  a  budled  oaf 
an  you  go  this  gait.  But  oods-an-end,  who  be  this?" 

"An  Englishman  of  Devon,  so  please  you,  Captain," 
said  Dennis,  doffing  his  cap. 

"Out  of  sky,  or  earth,  or  sea,  for  I  swear  you  are  not 
of  my  company?" 

"Out  of  earth  and  sea,  sir,  newly  come  to  bid  you  my 
duty." 

"And  be  that  Amos  Turnpenny,  an  I  be  not  in  a  maze. 
We  will  finish  our  game  anon,  Jack,"  he  added,  turning 
to  Oxnam,  "for  there  is  a  tale  hangs  by  this.  Come, 
young  sir,  methinks  I  know  your  face,  though  rabbit 
me  if  I  can  mind  the  when  or  the  where  of  seeing  it." 

"It  was  on  an  occasion  like  to  this,  sir,"  said  Dennis. 
"You  were  at  play  with  Sir  Martin  Blunt  on  Plymouth 
Hoe  when — " 

"Stay,  I  mind  it  well,  and  you  were  the  youth  that 
beat  me!  I  was  in  somewhat  of  a  dander,  to  be  sure. 
Are  you  of  Sir  Martin's  party?  Sure  I  looked  for  him 
months  ago  to  join  me,  and  wanting  him  has  not  been  to 
my  comfort.  Is  he  at  hand?" 

268 


DRAKE'S  CAMP 

"Alas,  sir,  Sir  Martin  has  been  at  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  the  washing  of  many  a  tide.  I  am  alone  left  of  all 
his  company." 

"God  rest  his  soul!  He  was  a  right  good  man.  But 
tell  me,  then,  how  it  chanced  that  you  alone  escaped. 
And  what  brings  you  here  in  company  with  this  ancient 
mariner?  Furthermore,  what  strange  affinity  hast  thou 
with  this  monkey,  who  is  friends  with  that  besotted 
knave  alone,  and  that  only  for  the  love  of  liquor?" 

"Mirandola  and  I  are  old  friends,  sir.  How  he  comes 
to  this  place  it  passes  my  wit  to  guess;  but  he  was  my 
sole  companion  and  friend  on  the  island  whereon  by 
God's  mercy  I  was  cast  alive  by  the  same  storm  that 
wrecked  the  Maid  Marian  and  swallowed  all  my  dear 
comrades.  There  I  spent  many  a  day  and  night  without 
sight  of  human  face  or  sound  of  human  voice  until 
Spaniards  came  purposing  to  cut  logwood,  with  slaves 
of  whom  Amos  was  one,  the  only  white  man.  He  had 
the  good  hap  to  escape  their  hands — " 

"Nay,  Captain,"  Amos  broke  in;  "it  was  not  good 
hap,  but  the  wit  and  spunk  of  Master  Hazelrig.  He 
saved  us  from  the  knaves,  and  led  us  to  the  taking  of 
their  vessel,  in  the  which  we  purposed  to  sail  away; 
but  the  knave  captain  blew  it  up  with  powder;  where- 
fore it  was  that  we  came  to  the  main  in  a  canow  of  the 
maroons'  devising,  and  did  take  that  strong  fort  and 
fastness  of  Aguila,  where — " 

"Stay,  stay!"  cried  Drake.  "Ods  my  life,  this  your 

269 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

tale  makes  my  noddle  buzz  with  amaze.  What  is  this 
about  Fort  Aguila?" 

"Why,  sir,  'tis  as  I  say,"  replied  Turnpenny.  "We 
did  sail  to  it  in  the  canow,  which  ran  aground  and  was 
stove  in.  But  we  mounted  those  walls  by  a  ladder,  and 
crept  upon  the  fort  by  night,  and  drew  out  of  their  dun- 
geon all  my  comrades — Ned  Whiddon  and  Hugh  Curder 
and  Tom  Copstone,  and  nigh  a  score  more.  And  we 
dealt  the  knave  Spaniards  many  a  dint,  and  took  the 
fort,  and  blew  up  the  towers,  and  sailed  right  merrily 
away  in  their  own  vessel  with  great  store  of  pearls 
and  pieces-of-eight.  And  the  vessel  was  named  in  the 
Spanish  tongue  Our  Lady  of  Baria,  but  Master  Hazel- 
rig  he  could  not  abide  the  papist  name,  and  called  her 
by  the  very  name  he  had  afore  bestowed  on  this  heathen 
beast,  Mirandola,  to  wit,  whereas  I  would  liever  have 
called  her  Susan  or  Betty — " 

"Jack,  is  it  not  a  midsummer  night's  dream?  A  very 
mingle-mangle  of  madness!  Tell  on;  I  have  a  soft  ear 
for  mariners'  tales." 

'T  fegs,  'tis  no  mariner's  tale,  sir,  but  very  truth. 
We  sailed  away,  but  the  morn  after,  when  it  was  mizzly, 
we  spied  a  vessel  that  straight  gave  chase,  and  but  for 
the  little,  small  harbor  of  Maiden  Isle,  whereinto  we  ran 
and  lay  hid,  and  so  diddled  that  knavish  vessel,  we  had 
e'en  fallen  again  into  those  cruel  hands,"  concluded  Amos 
earnestly. 

"When  shall  we  laugh,  Jack?"  cried  Drake,  smiting 

270 


DRAKE'S  CAMP 

his  thigh  and  loosing  a  mighty  roar  that  caused  the 
archers  to  pause  and  drew  the  smith  from  his  anvil. 
"Why,  friend  Amos,  that  knavish  vessel  was  my  own 
tight  bark  the  Pascha  yonder,  and  'twas  I  myself  that 
chased  thee,  ay,  and  would  have  caught  thee,  too,  but  for 
the  huffling  of  the  wind.  If  'twas  thou  handling  the  ves- 
sel, 'twas  a  mighty  good  piece  of  seamanship.  And 
mine  was  a  knavish  vessel,  good-now !  Ho,  ho !  'tis  a 
merry  world." 

"Be  jowned  if  Ned  Whiddon  thinks  so,  or  Hugh  Cur- 
der,  or  Tom  Copstone!  There  they  be,  poor  souls, 
marooned  on  that  same  island,  which  indeed  we  took  and 
named  Maiden  Isle  for  behoof  of  her  Gracious  Majesty. 
We  fled  from  that  craft  which  in  our  thought  was  a 
knavish  vessel  of  Spain,  and  remained  a  night  and  a  day 
to  refresh  ourselves,  intending  to  sail  thence  on  the  mor- 
row. But  one  of  our  company,  Gabriel  Batten,  a  quiet, 
good  soul,  but  somewhat  of  a  drumble-drone,  did  go 
a-straying  after  simples,  and  when  the  time  came  for 
us  to  embark,  ods-fish,  he  was  not  with  us.  In  that  night 
Jan  Biddle,  a  man  of  Belial,  made  off  with  our  vessel; 
but  Master  Hazelrig  spied  her  ere  she  ran  clear,  and 
we  swam  to  her  and  clomb  aboard,  and  were  vumped 
topsy-versy  by  those  knavish  mutineers.  But  they 
loosed  us  when  she  had  made  an  offing,  and  right  well 
it  was  for  them,  for  we  were  chased  by  three  galleons 
of  Spain,  and  hardly  escaped  ashore  in  our  jolly-boat. 
And  then  be  jowned  if  Jan  Biddle  and  his  villainous 

271 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

crew  did  not  skip  off  hippety-hoppety  with  the  treasure 
we  got  with  our  pains  at  Fort  Aguila — " 

"Aha!  I  owe  you  a  grudge  for  that,  Master  Hazel- 
rig,"  cried  Drake.  "I  had  heard  of  the  pearl-fishery, 
and  was  e'en  chasing  you,  supposing  your  craft  was  a 
merchant  vessel  out  of  Venta  Cruz  or  Cartagena,  to  in- 
quire somewhat  of  the  defenses  of  that  same  fort.  I 
came  by  chance  to  the  place,  and  lo !  it  was  a  ruin.  You 
beat  me  at  bowls,  young  sir;  art  minded,  meseems,  to 
beat  me  at  other  games." 

"Truly,  sir,  had  I  but  known  you  were  in  these  seas, 
I  would  surely  have  joined  myself  to  your  company, 
with  your  good  leave,  and  served  you  with  all  diligence." 

"Wilt  serve  me  now,  lad?"  Drake  shot  a  keen  glance 
at  him.  "I  am  preparing  a  sore  dint  for  the  Spaniards, 
and  have  but  few  men  for  the  job.  Hast  thou  a  mind 
to  join  me?" 

"I  could  desire  nothing  better,"  said  Dennis,  with  a 
flush  of  pleasure;  "but — " 

"Say  on;  let  me  hear  your  but." 

"Some  half  a  score  of  Englishmen,  the  comrades  of 
Amos,  lie  marooned  on  yonder  island,  sir;  and  we  came 
hither,  when  we  heard  of  your  presence,  to  beg  a  vessel 
to  go  and  fetch  them  off.  Methinks  one  of  the  pin- 
naces yonder — " 

"Knavish  vessels,  good-now!" 

"Crymaces,  sir,  will  'ee  remember  that  against  me?" 
Amos  broke  in.  "A  man  must  say  what  'e  thinks,  but 

272 


DRAKE'S  CAMP 

thinkin'  don't  alter  what  is.     'Twas  your  vessel;  then 
'twas  no  knave." 

"Save  as  the  Spaniards  think  it  so.  Well,  I  would 
fain  help  Englishmen  in  so  hard  a  case,  but  at  this  pres- 
ent I  can  not  spare  a  pinnace;  nay,  I  can  not  even 
spare  a  man.  Yet  when  the  matter  I  spoke  of  is  brought 
to  an  end,  and  falls  out  to  our  liking,  I  will  go  myself 
to  that  island  and  bring  off  your  comrades;  for  in  truth 
I  have  a  mind  to  see  the  haven  into  which  you  fled  and 
so  'scaped  my  knavish  tricks.  Methinks  it  should  prove 
a  secret  and  comfortable  place  for  myself.  In  brief,  I 
give  you  my  word.  Now,  what  say  you  to  my  pro- 
posal?" i 

"Sir,  I  am  yours,"  said  Dennis,  "and  I  thank  you 
for  your  good  will." 

"Ay,  and  me  likewise,"  said  Turnpenny;  "and  Ise 
warrant  a  man  of  my  muscle  can  do  summat  against 
those  villain  dons.  Lookeedesee !" 

He  exhibited  the  knotty  muscles  and  sinews  of  his 
arms  with  a  simple  vanity  that  set  Drake  and  Oxnam 
a-laughing. 

"But  not  the  monkey,"  added  Drake,  as  the  animal 
chattered  in  concert.  "He  is  prone  to  utter  his  voice 
out  of  season,  and  an  indiscreet  cry  might  be  the  undoing 
of  my  purpose,  and  me." 

"How  comes  the  monkey  here,  sir?"  asked  Dennis. 
"We  brought  him  with  us  from  the  island;  indeed,  he 
would  not  be  left;  but  he  deserted  us  so^ "  ten 

273 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

beyond  Fort  Aguila,  and  I  supposed  he  had  gone 
among  his  kind  and  thought  never  to  see  him  again." 

"Why,  we  found  him  among  the  ruins  of  that  fort, 
and  meseems  he  saw  some  likeness  between  Bob  Pike 
and  Turnpenny — " 

"God  forbid!"  cried  Amos  earnestly. 

"In  muscle,  not  in  manners,"  said  Drake,  laughing. 
"Howbeit,  he  hitched  himself  on  to  Pike,  and  hath 
accompanied  us  ever  since,  and  I  trow  not  what  Pike 
will  say  if  the  beast  transfers  his  allegiance.  But  good- 
now,  the  sun  goes  down;  'tis  time  to  make  our  evening 
devotions  and  then  to  supper.  Methinks  you,  Master 
Hazelrig,  have  good  cause  to  render  thanks  to  the 
Almighty  Father  for  the  wondrous  things  He  hath 
wrought  in  your  behoof;  and  we  have  great  plenty  of 
fish,  fowls,  rabbits  and  the  like,  which,  I  doubt  not,  will 
be  comfortable  fare  to  you  after  your  late  privations. 
Come  with  me  to  my  hut;  I  would  hear  of  your  adven- 
tures more  at  leisure." 

And  thus  Dennis  became  one  of  the  company  of  Fran- 
cis Drake. 


274 


CHAPTER   XX 

A   RAID   THROUGH   THE   FOREST 

Though  Dennis  had  accepted  Drake's  offer  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment,  he  saw  no  reason  to  repent  when 
he  talked  the  matter  over  with  Amos  next  day.  The 
rescue  of  their  comrades  on  the  island  was  indeed 
deferred;  but  it  was  impossible  to  attempt  that  rescue 
without  a  suitable  vessel  and  a  due  equipment  of  men 
and  stores;  and  since  the  men  had  plenty  of  food  on 
Maiden  Isle,  the  delay  of  a  few  weeks  would  make  no 
serious  difference  to  them  unless — and  this  possibility 
gave  Dennis  some  concern — they  were  molested  by 
Spaniards.  He  hoped,  however,  that  if  an  enemy  did 
appear  on  the  island,  the  men  would  have  sufficient 
warning  to  give  them  time  to  take  refuge  in  the  cave, 
where  with  good  luck  they  might  remain  concealed 
until  the  danger  had  passed. 

Before  the  day  was  out  Dennis  had  made  acquaint- 
ance with  the  members  of  the  little  company  at  Port 
Diego,  as  it  had  been  called.  From  Ellis  Hixom,  Drake's 
right-hand  man,  he  learned  something  of  their  adven- 
tures since  they  left  Plymouth  in  May,  only  a  month 
after  the  Maid  Marian  set  sail.  Early  in  July  they  had 

275 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

arrived  at  Port  Pheasant,  a  secret  anchorage  discovered 
by  Drake  on  a  former  voyage,  and  so  named  by  him 
by  reason  of  the  great  store  of  those  goodly  fowls 
which  he  and  his  company  did  daily  kill  and  feed  on  in 
that  place.  On  the  twentieth  they  sailed  for  Nombre 
de  Dios,  and  a  week  later  made  a  night  attack  on  that 
unhealthy  place,  which  once  or  twice  in  the  year  emerged 
into  importance  when  the  galleons  came  there  from. 
Cartagena  to  take  in  their  cargoes  of  gold  and  silver 
sent  for  shipment  by  the  governor  of  Panama. 

The  moon  was  rising  as  they  stood  in  for  the  shore, 
but  Drake,  finding  that  his  men  were  full  of  supersti- 
tious terror  of  the  night,  persuaded  them  that  it  was  the 
dawn  of  day.  They  landed  on  the  sands,  beneath  a  bat- 
tery, and  only  a  few  yards  from  the  houses  which  were 
built  on  the  shore,  with  the  forest  behind.  Their  single 
sentry  was  slumbering,  but  he  was  roused  by  the  sound 
of  their  climbing  up  the  redoubt,  and  fled  to  give  the 
alarm  in  the  town.  They  spiked  the  six  big  guns  in 
the  fort,  but  ere  they  had  finished  they  heard  the  great 
bell  of  the  town  church  booming  out;  drums  beat  in  the 
narrow  street ;  it  seemed  that  there  was  warm  work 
before  the  little  band  of  fifty. 

Drake  divided  his  men  into  three  parties:  one  of 
twelve  to  guard  the  boats ;  the  second  of  sixteen,  with  his 
brother  John  and  Oxnam,  to  enter  by  the  east  gate  of 
the  market-place;  while  himself  with  about  a  score 
would  march  in  at  the  other  end  to  the  sound  <"** 

276 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

drum  and  trumpet,  with  torches  glaring  at  the  end  of 
their  pikes.  He  gave  the  men  orders  to  make  all  possi- 
ble noise,  so  as  to  delude  the  garrison  into  the  belief 
that  his  force  was  stronger  than  it  really  was. 

The  market-place  was  crowded  with  a  mob  of  min- 
gled soldiers  and  citizens  when  Drake  and  his  men 
entered  with  great  clatter  from  the  side  nearest  the  sea. 
The  intrepid  band  was  met  by  a  hot  volley,  to  which 
they  replied  with  their  calivers  and  a  flight  of  arrows; 
then,  not  waiting  to  reload,  they  charged  with  a  fierce 
shout,  to  do  the  rest  of  the  business  with  pike  and  sword. 
At  the  same  moment  Oxnam  and  his  company  dashed  in 
at  the  other  side  with  a  great  blast  of  trumpets.  The 
Spaniards,  scared  by  the  noise  and  the  torches,  still  more 
by  the  knowledge  that  El  Draque  was  among  them, 
did  not  stay  to  fight  the  matter  out,  but  flung  their 
weapons  down  and  rushed  away  in  disorderly  flight 
along  the  road  leading  through  the  forest  to  Venta 
Cruz. 

Drake  re-formed  his  men,  and,  under  the  guidance 
of  Spaniards  he  had  captured,  made  for  the  governor's 
house,  where  the  mule-trains  from  Panama  were 
unloaded.  The  door  was  wide  open,  and  by  the  light  of 
a  torch  the  Englishmen  saw  a  vast  pile  of  silver  bars 
standing  in  the  passage.  But  Drake  had  learned  that 
in  the  king's  treasure-house  on  the  eastern  side  lay  a 
goodly  store  of  gold  and  jewels,  far  more  than  they 
could  carry.  Accordingly  he  would  not  allow  the  men 

277 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

to  break  their  ranks  and  despoil  the  governor,  but  led 
them  back  to  the  market-place  to  prepare  for  the  more 
serious  work. 

Meanwhile  the  men  on  guard  at  the  beach,  hearing 
the  din,  and  seeing  by  the  light  of  the  torches  men 
running  this  way  and  that  in  the  streets,  began  to  be 
alarmed,  especially  when  they  learned  from  the  negro 
who  had  joined  them  that  the  garrison  had  been  newly 
strengthened.  In  their  panic  they  sent  word  to  Drake 
that  the  pinnaces  were  in  danger  of  being  taken. 
Drake  had  no  sooner  sent  his  brother  and  John  Oxnam 
to  allay  their  fears  and  assure  them  that  all  was  well 
when  a  terrific  thunderstorm  burst  upon  them,  wetting 
their  bowstrings  and  the  charges  of  their  guns.  They 
ran  for  shelter  to  a  shed  at  the  western  end  of  the  king's 
treasure-house,  and  there,  while  they  repaired  the  dam- 
age, the  men  began  to  mutter  among  themselves  of  the 
peril  they  were  in,  and  some  talked  of  flight.  As  soon 
as  the  storm  had  ceased,  Drake,  seeing  that  the  adven- 
ture was  in  jeopardy  unless  he  led  the  men  to  action, 
ordered  Oxnam  to  break  open  the  treasure-house  while  he 
held  his  ground  in  the  market-place. 

But  unknown  to  the  men  he  had  been  severely  wound- 
ed in  the  leg  at  the  first  onset,  and  fell  faint  from  loss 
of  blood.  He  perceived  that  some  of  his  men  had 
already  laden  themselves  with  plunder  from  the  houses 
and  booths  in  the  market-place,  and  knew  that  they 
would  be  glad  of  any  excuse  to  get  away  to  the  boats. 

278 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

It  was  no  longer  possible  to  hide  his  wound,  and  the 
men,  seeing  it,  begged  him  to  return  to  the  boats,  and 
paid  no  heed  to  his  entreaty  that  they  leave  him  to 
fend  for  himself  and  possess  themselves  of  the  treas- 
ure so  nearly  within  their  grasp.  The  possibility  of 
losing  their  captain  took  all  the  heart  out  of  them. 
They  carried  him  hastily  down  to  the  beach,  got  aboard 
the  boats,  and  shoved  off  just  as  dawn  was  breaking. 
It  was  a  disappointing  end  to  the  expedition;  but  only 
one  man  of  them,  a  trumpeter,  had  been  killed,  and 
they  were  all  glad  enough  to  get  off  so  lightly. 

Since  then  they  had  cruised  up  and  down  the  coast, 
capturing  Spanish  vessels  here  and  there,  and  making 
themselves  a  terror  to  the  whole  main.  They  had  suf- 
fered many  losses,  by  sickness  and  in  fight;  John  Drake 
had  been  killed  in  leading  a  mad  attack  on  a  frigate; 
but  small  as  the  company  was,  every  man  was  now  cheer- 
ful in  the  expectation  of  gaining  great  plunder  in  the 
approaching  expedition  to  Panama.  Dennis  and  Turn- 
penny were  welcome  recruits,  and  none  were  more 
eager  than  they  to  set  off  with  the  great  captain,  and  go 
whithersoever  he  might  lead. 

One  day,  about  a  week  after  their  arrival  at  the  camp, 
Drake  called  his  men  together  in  council  and  unfolded 
to  them  his  daring  plan.  The  Spanish  treasure  fleet, 
he  had  learned,  had  arrived  at  Nombre  de  Dios,  and 
was  awaiting  there  the  consignments  of  gold  and  jewels 
which  were  brought  by  long  mule-trains  across  the 

279 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

isthmus  from  Panama.  He  purposed  to  ambush  one 
of  those  trains  in  a  lonely  spot  on  the  north  road.  Sol- 
emnly he  placed  before  the  men  the  dangers  of  the 
expedition.  They  had  a  march  of  sixty  miles  before 
them,  through  poisonous  jungles  and  fever-haunted 
swamps.  It  was  an  enterprise  for  none  but  hardy  and 
courageous  men  ready  to  endure  labor  and  fatigue 
without  murmuring. 

Of  his  original  company  he  had  only  forty-two  left 
Some  of  these  were  sick,  others  were  required  to  guard 
the  ships;  and  when  Drake  had  weeded  out  the  least 
fit  of  the  rest,  he  had  only  eighteen  Englishmen  for  the 
adventure.  To  those  he  added  thirty  maroons,  making 
a  little  company  of  forty-eight  all  told.  Dennis  ob- 
served with  admiration  how  carefully  all  things  were 
prepared.  The  men  were  provided  with  spare  boots, 
so  that  they  might  not  go  footsore  and  be  troubled 
by  the  jiggers  of  the  jungles  and  the  leeches  of  the 
swamps.  The  bows  were  all  refitted,  the  arrows  and 
firearms  cleaned  and  scoured;  large  stores  of  dried  meat 
and  biscuit  were  packed  in  bundles;  and  bottles  were 
filled  with  wine  and  rum,  for  it  was  unsafe  to  drink 
the  water  of  the  rivers. 

It  was  a  bright  February  day,  Shrove  Tuesday,  when 
the  adventurous  band  set  out,  the  ships  in  the  harbor 
dipping  their  colors  and  the  trumpeters  sounding  a 
"loath  to  depart."  The  Englishmen  carried  nothing  but 
their  weapons,  the  baggage  being  strapped  to  the  shoul- 

280 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

ders  of  the  stalwart  maroons.  They  marched  in  the  cool- 
est part  of  the  morning,  from  sunrise  to  ten,  when  they 
paused  for  dinner.  Soon  after  noon  they  were  afoot 
again,  and  at  four  halted  for  the  night,  the  maroons 
building  for  them  with  extraordinary  rapidity  little 
huts  of  grass  and  palm-leaves,  where  they  ate  their 
supper  over  cheerful  wood-fires,  beguiling  the  evening 
hours  with  song  and  talk.  It  was  a  new  life  for  Dennis, 
and  full  of  a  strange  charm.  He  spent  many  an  hour 
in  the  company  of  Drake  and  Oxnam,  listening  with 
a  boyish  admiration  to  their  talk,  reveling  in  their  tales 
of  fight  and  adventure. 

The  great  captain  exercised  a  wonderful  fascination 
upon  him.  Drake  was  at  this  time  little  more  than 
thirty  years  old,  below  the  medium  height,  but  with 
brawny  limbs  and  a  broad  chest.  Brown  hair  clustered 
close  on  a  bullet-shaped  head ;  his  beard  grew  thick  and 
strong ;  his  face  was  ruddy  and  pleasant  to  look  upon ; 
and  the  honesty  of  his  soul  spoke  out  of  his  large,  round, 
blue  eyes.  His  voice  was  clear  and  musical,  and  he  had 
a  natural  eloquence,  set  off  by  the  bur  of  his  native 
speech.  Nothing  impressed  Dennis  more  than  to  hear 
the  captain,  every  night  at  sunset,  recite  the  evening 
prayers  and  collects  bareheaded  among  his  men  assem- 
bled. "By  Thy  great  mercy  defend  us  from  all  perils  and 
dangers  of  this  night" — there  was  something  very  real 
and  earnest  in  the  petition,  uttered  in  the  shade  of  the 
forest  where  wild  animals  dwelt,  and  in  a  country  where 

281 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

every  man  was  a  foe.  There  was  no  doubt  about  the 
reality  of  Drake's  religion;  and  it  was  a  part  of  his 
simple  belief  that  he  was  chosen  of  God  to  scourge  a 
pestilent  enemy  of  mankind. 

The  order  of  the  march  was  the  same  every  day. 
Four  maroons  led  the  way,  marking  a  trail  by  flinging 
broken  branches  or  bundles  of  leaves  upon  the  ground. 
Then  came  twelve  more  maroons,  followed  at  an  interval 
by  Drake  and  his  eighteen  Englishmen  and  two  maroon 
chiefs.  The  rear  was  brought  up  by  the  rest  of  the 
maroons. 

After  four  days'  tramping  through  swampy  woods, 
much  entangled  with  undergrowth,  steaming  with  heat 
and  infected  with  noisome  odors,  they  entered  a  pleas- 
anter  country,  where  the  trees  grew  larger  and  with 
branches  so  thickly  interlaced  that  they  were  defended 
from  the  sun's  rays  and  found  their  path  less  obstructed 
by  creeping  plants.  The  ground  rose  gradually,  and 
Pedro,  the  maroon  chief,  told  Drake  that  on  the  summit 
of  the  ridge  they  were  ascending,  half-way  across  the 
isthmus,  there  grew  an  immense  tree  from  which  he 
could  descry  the  north  sea,  whence  he  had  come,  and 
the  south  sea,  whither  he  was  going.  At  ten  o'clock  on 
the  eighth  day  of  their  march  they  came  to  the  place, 
and  while  the  dinner  was  being  got  ready  Drake  went 
with  Pedro  to  the  tree  of  which  he  had  spoken.  Ascend- 
ing big  steps  cut  on  the  bole,  they  reached,  near  the  top, 
a  pleasant  thatched  arbor,  large  enough  to  seat  a  dozen 

282 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

men.  The  sky  was  clear;  no  haze  blanketed  the  view; 
and  looking  forth,  Drake  caught,  thirty  miles  away,  the 
sparkle  of  the  southern  ocean  on  which  no  English 
boat  had  sailed.  The  soul  of  the  great  mariner  was 
strangely  moved:  he  fell  on  his  knees,  and  "besought 
Almighty  God  of  His  goodness  to  give  him  life  and  leave 
to  sail  once  in  an  English  ship  on  that  sea."  Then  he 
called  up  Oxnam  and  others  of  his  company,  and  told 
them  of  his  desire  and  prayer.  Dennis  never  forgot  the 
scene  in  that  shady  bower  at  the  tree-top:  the  kindling 
face  of  the  sturdy  captain,  his  shining  eyes,  the  fervency 
of  his  speech. 

They  went  on  again,  and  in  two  days  more  reached 
the  wide  savanna,  with  grass  as  high  as  corn,  and  great 
herds  of  black  cattle.  Now  and  then  they  got  a  glimpse 
of  Panama,  the  city  of  their  dream,  and  by  and  by, 
when  they  were  near  enough  to  see  the  ships  riding  at 
anchor  in  the  roadstead,  Drake  called  a  halt:  they  had 
come  within  touch  of  danger  and  must  walk  warily. 
Resting  in  a  grove  some  three  miles  from  the  city, 
Drake  sent  one  of  the  maroons,  dressed  like  a  negro  of 
Panama,  into  it  as  a  spy  an  hour  before  dark.  He  was 
to  find  out  on  what  night,  and  at  what  hour,  the  mule- 
train  set  out  with  its  precious  burden  for  Nombre  de 
Dios.  He  had  learned  from  Pedro  that  the  first  stage 
of  the  journey,  from  Panama  to  Venta  Cruz,  was  always 
performed  by  night,  because  by  day  the  open  plain 
was  scorched  by  the  sun.  But  the  second  stage,  from 

283 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Venta  Cruz  to  Nombre  de  Dios,  was  accomplished  by 
day,  the  road  lying  among  cool,  shaded  woods.  It  was 
clear  that  the  first  stage  offered  the  best  chances  of  a 
successful  ambush,  and  Drake  had  resolved  to  inter- 
cept the  treasure-train  between  Panama  and  Venta 
Cruz. 

The  spy  returned  sooner  than  he  was  expected.  From 
old  acquaintances  in  the  city  he  had  learned  that  a 
train  was  to  start  that  very  night,  its  departure  being 
expedited  because  a  Spanish  hidalgo,  the  treasurer  of 
Lima,  was  in  haste  to  reach  a  ship  waiting  at  Nombre 
de  Dios  to  convey  him  to  Spain.  His  train  consisted 
of  fourteen  mules,  of  which  eight  were  laden  with  gold 
and  one  with  jewels.  Two  other  trains,  of  fifty  mules 
each,  would  follow,  with  provisions  for  the  fleet  and 
a  quantity  of  silver.  They  were  to  travel  by  a  road  lying 
some  distance  from  Drake's  present  position. 

Within  an  hour  of  the  receipt  of  this  news,  Drake 
and  his  men  were  afoot  on  the  road  for  Venta  Cruz, 
some  twelve  miles  away.  Before  starting,  the  English- 
men all  put  their  shirts  on  outside  their  other  garments, 
so  that  they  might  have  some  means  of  telling  friend 
from  foe  in  the  darkness.  When  they  had  marched 
about  half  of  the  distance,  two  of  the  maroons,  going 
ahead  as  scouts  on  the  narrow  track  between  long 
grass,  detected  the  smell  of  a  burning  match,  and,  creep- 
ing stealthily  on,  guided  by  the  scent,  and  the  now  aud- 
ible sound  of  snoring,  came  upon  a  Spanish  sentry  fast 

284 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

asleep  by  the  roadside.  Immediately  they  pounced  on 
him;  they  stuffed  a  gag  into  his  gaping  mouth,  put  out 
his  match,  tied  his  arms  to  his  sides,  and  haled  him  back 
to  the  main  body.  This  danger  removed,  Drake  divided 
his  band  into  two  companies.  One  of  these,  under  John 
Oxnam  and  Pedro,  the  maroon,  he  stationed  in  long 
grass  fifty  paces  from  the  road;  with  the  other  he  went 
to  the  same  distance  on  the  other  side,  posting  them  so 
that,  if  it  came  to  a  fight,  their  fire  would  not  harm 
their  comrades.  He  gave  strict  orders  that  no  man 
should  stir  from  his  post,  but  that  all  should  maintain 
perfect  quiet;  and  if  any  travelers  should  come  from 
the  direction  of  Venta  Cruz,  these  were  to  be  allowed 
to  pass  without  molestation. 

Dennis  and  Turnpenny  were  placed  among  Oxnam's 
party,  and  lay  side  by  side  in  the  grass.  The  night  was 
so  dark  and  the  stalks  so  long  that  they  could  scarcely 
see  each  other,  much  less  any  other  of  their  company. 
For  a  time  all  was  quiet;  nothing  was  heard  but  the 
faint  critch  of  insects  among  the  herbage.  But  by  and 
by  Dennis  caught  a  slight  murmur  from  some  point 
near  at  hand.  He  lifted  his  head  to  listen.  Yes,  it  was 
certainly  a  man  mumbling.  Then  he  heard  a  glug-glug, 
as  of  liquid  poured  from  a  narrow-necked  vessel,  and 
immediately  afterward  a  deep  sigh  of  contentment. 
Again  there  was  silence ;  but  after  a  while  another  glug- 
ing  and  another  sigh. 

"Begorz!"  whispered  Turnpenny  in  great  excitement, 

285 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"  'tis  some  bosky  lubber  a-puddling  of  aqua  vitae.  St ! 
Here  be  bells  a-coming  on  the  neck  of  moyles,  Ise  war- 
rant St!" 

The  sound  came  from  the  direction  of  Venta  Cruz ; 
evidently  a  train  was  returning  to  Panama.  Almost 
immediately  afterward,  there  came  a  fainter  tinkle  on 
the  other  side;  the  treasurer  of  Lima  was  on  the  road, 
but  he  would  not  reach  the  ambush  until  the  train  from 
Venta  Cruz  had  passed. 

Nearer  came  the  sound,  growing  now  into  a  loud 
clanging.  Dennis  held  his  breath.  The  Venta  Cruz 
party  was  to  be  allowed  to  pass ;  it  would  meet  the  other 
travelers  and  give  them  the  word  that  all  was  well. 
But  what  was  this?  Some  one  was  rustling  in  the  grass 
near  him;  some  one  was  moving  forward;  and,  peeping 
up,  Dennis  saw  an  Englishman,  as  he  knew  by  his  shirt, 
creeping  toward  the  road  through  the  long  stalks,  and  a 
maroon  following  him. 

At  this  moment  his  ears  caught  the  sound  of  a  horse 
trotting.  He  could  not  see  the  road;  the  men  who  had 
gone  through  the  grass  were  also  out  of  sight;  but 
suddenly  the  trot  changed  into  a  gallop,  and  he  heard 
the  horse  clattering  at  a  furious  rate  down  the  road. 
His  heart  gave  a  jump ;  he  felt  a  hot  flush  surge  through 
him;  the  rider,  whoever  he  was,  had  been  startled,  and 
was  doubtless  now  dashing  on  to  warn  the  coming  train, 
Who  could  the  fool  be  who  had  so  flagrantly  disobeyed 
the  captain's  orders?  Had  he  been  so  mad  as  to  expose 

286 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

himself,  in  his  shirt  over-all,  to  the  view  of  the  horse- 
man? Turnpenny  was  as  wrathful  as  Dennis. 

"Be  jowned  if  I  don't  deal  en  a  whap  in  the  middick," 
he  whispered,  "as'll  make  en  twine  like  an  angletwitch." 

The  sounds  of  the  hoofs  died  away,  and  Dennis  ex- 
pected that  the  clanging  of  the  bells  would  cease  also, 
and  all  be  brought  to  nought.  To  his  surprise  there 
was  no  change:  the  bells  drew  nearer  and  nearer;  now 
he  heard  men's  voices ;  and  then,  with  a  suddenness  that 
made  him  jump,  a  shrill  whistle-blast  rose  high  above 
all  other  sounds.  It  was  the  signal  for  the  attack. 
Dennis  and  the  sailor  rushed  through  the  grass;  on  all 
sides  white-clad  forms  rose  from  their  lurking-places 
and  made  toward  the  road  with  a  cheer.  They  sprang 
at  the  muleteers,  toppled  them  over,  and  without  a  shot 
fired  the  long  line  of  mules  was  in  the  raiders'  hands. 

With  many  a  laugh  and  jest  the  sailors  hauled  the 
packs  from  the  backs  of  the  mules  and  slit  them  with 
their  hangers.  But  soon  the  mirth  was  turned  to  mel- 
ancholy. 

"Od-rat-en,  what  have  we  here?"  cried  Turnpenny 
suddenly,  lifting  a  soft  mass  on  the  end  of  his  weapon. 
"Bless  my  bones,  if  it  bean't  a  bunch  of  yokey  sheep's 
wool !" 

"And  here  'tis  nought  but  dried  meat  as  tough  as 
leather." 

"Ay,  where  be  the  goold,  where  be  the  goold?"  cried 
Robert  Pike,  breaking  from  the  grasp  of  a  maroon. 

287 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Cap'n  said  there  was  nugs  of  goold  as  big  as  goose- 
eggs,  and  be  jowned  if  I  can  see  a  farden's  worth !" 

"And  the  gewgaws  for  the  rory-tory  madams  of 
Spain — where  be  the  gewgaws?"  cried  another  of  the 
seamen.  "Here,  you  codger" — seizing  one  of  the  mule- 
teers— "where  be  the  gewgaws  adiddled  to?" 

He  shook  the  man  till  he  gasped  for  breath,  then 
hauled  him  before  Drake,  who  had  come  into  the  midst 
of  the  enraged  sailors.  He  bade  the  muleteer  speak. 
The  man  told  how  the  horseman,  trotting  by  with  a 
page  at  his  stirrup,  had  been  startled  to  see  a  ghost-like 
figure  rise  out  of  the  grass  at  the  side  of  the  track,  and 
galloped  on  to  warn  the  treasurer.  Superstitious  as  the 
Spaniards  were,  they  knew  so  much  of  the  daring  of 
El  Draque  that  the  treasurer  did  not  for  a  moment 
doubt  he  had  to  deal,  not  with  a  ghost,  but  with  a  very 
real  and  substantial  enemy.  The  warning  had  reached 
him  just  in  time.  He  drew  his  mules,  bearing  the  treas- 
ure, to  the  side  of  the  road  to  allow  the  train  of  mer- 
chandise to  pass;  the  loss  of  food  and  wool  could  be 
endured  patiently  if  the  gold  and  jewels  were  saved. 
Then,  when  the  din  ahead  confirmed  his  suspicions  of 
an  ambush,  he  turned  the  mules'  heads  back  toward 
Panama  and  slipped  away. 

Here  was  a  pretty  end  to  the  adventure  from  which 
all  had  hoped  so  much!  Loud  was  the  outcry  against 
the  wretched  man  whose  rashness  had  had  so  untoward 
an  effect.  While  Drake  took  hurried  counsel  with  Ox- 

288 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

nam  and  Pedro,  the  maroon,  the  men  went  about  growl- 
ing, accusing  each  other,  threatening  terrible  punish- 
ment for  the  offender.  Of  them  all  none  was  louder 
or  more  vehement  than  Robert  Pike. 

"An  I  catch  the  knave,"  he  shouted,  "Ise  fulsh  en, 
Ise  thump  en,  Ise  1'arn  en  a  thing  or  two  as  the  wink- 
a-puss  won't  forget." 

But  as  he  spoke  he  lurched  toward  Amos,  who  caught 
him  up  smartly  by  the  collar  as  a  sudden  suspicion 
dawned. 

"Be  jowned  if  I  don't  believe  'twas  'ee,  Bob  Pike! 
You  hawk-amouth  knave,  I  smell  'ee,  I  do.  You  been 
puddling  aqua  vitae,  dang  my  buttons  an  you  bean't! 
You  bandy-legged  piggish  lubby,  you,  'ee'll  fulsh  en, 
will  'ee?  and  thump  en,  will  'ee?  and  1'arn  the  wink- 
a-puss  a  thing  or  two,  will  'ee?  The  Old  Smoker  take 
'ee  for  a  lubberly  knave  and  a  jackass." 

"And  'ee  for  a  gabbing  rant-a-come  scour!"  retorted 
Pike,  when  he  got  his  breath.  "What  be  'ee  jowering 
at  me  for  ?  I  only  supped  a  little  small  drop  to  keep  me 
awake,  and  when  I  heard  the  moyles  a-coming,  od-rab- 
bit-en,  thinks  I,  Ise  nab  the  first;  and  when  I  got  to  the 
road,  'twas  no  moyle,  but  a  fine  horse  and  rider,  and  I 
rose  up  to  see  what  he  was,  and  a  knave  maroon  pulled 
me  down  and  set  upon  me  like  to  squeeze  out  my  vitals, 
and  so  the  villain  Spaniard  got  away." 

"You  bosky  knave,  I'll—" 

But  what  Turnpenny  would  have  done  remained 

289 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

untold,   for  at  this  moment  Drake  called  all  the  men 
together. 

"Tis  no  good  crying  over  spilt  milk,  my  lads,"  he 
said.  "An  we  do  not  shift  for  ourselves  betimes  we 
shall  have  all  the  Spaniards  of  Panama  upon  us  pell- 
mell.  To  go  back  the  way  we  came  is  a  four-league 
march;  we  all  be  wearied  and  fordone;  and  meseems 
'twere  better  to  go  forward  two  leagues  into  the  forest. 
True,  the  town  of  Venta  Cruz  stands  in  the  way,  but 
'tis  better,  methinks,  to  encounter  our  enemies  while  we 
have  strength  remaining  than  to  be  encountered  and 
chased  when  we  be  worn  out  with  weariness.  We  will 
e'en  eat  our  suppers  while  we  may ;  there  be  great  store 
of  meat  and  drink  in  the  mule-packs ;  then  we  will  mount 
upon  those  beasts  so  that  we  do  not  weary  ourselves 
with  overmuch  marching.  And  then,  if  God  will,  we 
will  ding  a  blow  at  the  enemy  for  our  honor;  and  mark 
'ee,  my  lads,  we  are  disappointed  of  a  most  rich  booty; 
but  surely  God  would  not  that  it  should  be  taken,  for 
that,  by  all  likelihood,  they  were  well  come  by  that  treas- 
ure, and  not  by  evil  courses." 

And,  taking  what  comfort  they  could  from  their  cap- 
tain's explanation,  they  set  off  on  mule-back  as  soon  as 
supper  was  over,  and  came  in  an  hour  to  the  woods 
a  mile  out  of  Venta  Cruz.  There  they  dismounted. 
Drake  bade  the  muleteers  remain  out  of  harm's  way, 
and  led  the  men  over  a  cobbled  road  ten  feet  broad, 
running  between  great  walls  of  vegetation. 

290 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

Following  his  custom,  Drake  sent  forward  two  of 
the  faithful  maroons  to  reconnoiter.  They  came  back 
with  the  news  that,  half  a  mile  farther  on,  the  enemy 
were  hidden  in  the  thickets;  they  had  heard  the  rustle 
of  their  movements  and  smelled  the  pungent  smoke 
of  their  matches. 

"Let  no  man  fire  until  after  the  enemy  hath  dealt  us 
a  volley,"  said  Drake;  "methinks  they  will  first  parley 
with  us." 

He  led  them  quietly  forward.  A  few  minutes  later 
a  dark  form  appeared  on  the  darker  road. 

"Hoo !"  came  a  voice. 

"Halloo!"  replied  Drake. 

"What  nation  are  you?"  called  the  man  in  Spanish. 

"Englishmen." 

"In  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain,  my  master," 
cried  the  captain,  "I  charge  you  to  yield,  avouching  on 
the  word  of  a  gentleman  soldier  that  I  will  deal  with 
you  most  courteously." 

"Come  on,  my  lads,"  quietly  said  Drake,  taking  a  few 
quick  steps  forward.  Aloud  he  cried:  "For  the  honor 
of  the  Queen  of  England,  my  mistress,  I  must  have 
passage  this  way." 

At  the  same  time  he  fired  his  pistol.  The  Spaniards 
in  ambush,  mistaking  the  shot  for  a  signal  from  their 
own  officer,  poured  in  a  volley.  Drake  blew  his  whistle, 
and  instantly  his  men  sent  a  spattering  shower  of  bullets 
and  arrows  into  the  brushwood,  following  it  up  with 

291 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

a  charge.  The  Spaniards  bolted  like  hares,  and,  at 
Drake's  command,  the  maroons  of  his  party  swarmed 
forward  to  cut  the  enemy  off  from  a  stronger  position 
in  the  rear,  shouting  their  terrifying  war-cry,  "Yo  peho! 
Yo  peho!"  Back  went  the  Spaniards,  scurrying  along 
to  the  shelter  of  the  town,  the  maroons  leaping  and 
dancing  after  them  as  their  manner  was  in  war,  the  sea- 
men not  far  behind,  adding  to  the  uproar  with  English 
yells.  Within  a  few  yards  of  the  town  wall  the  enemy 
attempted  to  rally,  posting  themselves  across  the  road 
and  in  the  woods  on  both  sides.  But  the  maroons 
swept  upon  their  flanks,  while  Drake  and  his  men  charged 
full  at  the  center.  For  a  few  moments  the  place  rang 
with  the  clash  of  sword  and  pike  and  the  cries  of  the 
combatants.  Then  as  one  man  the  Spaniards  wheeled 
about  and  scampered  through  the  open  gates  of  the 
town  with  Drake's  whole  party  at  their  heels.  On  they 
went  into  the  streets,  seamen  and  maroons,  thrusting 
and  slashing  without  pause  or  respite,  yet  strictly  ob- 
serving their  captain's  injunction  to  spare  women  and 
unarmed  men.  In  five  minutes  they  were  masters  of 
the  town. 

For  a  little  over  an  hour  the  men  ran  hither  and 
thither,  gathering  what  spoils  they  could  in  the  shape 
of  articles  easily  carried.  Then,  just  as  dawn  was  break- 
ing, and  they  were  snatching  a  hasty  breakfast  before 
departing,  a  dozen  horsemen  dashed  in  at  the  Panama 
gate.  Not  until  they  were  within  point-blank  range  of 

292 


THROUGH  THE  FOREST 

the  musketeers  whom  Drake  had  posted  there  did  they 
perceive  that  the  town  was  in  the  enemy's  hands.  The 
sentries  fired;  half  of  the  horsemen  fell;  the  rest  fled 
back  hastily  into  the  forest.  But  Drake  feared  that  they 
were  the  advance  guard  of  a  larger  force.  It  was  dan- 
gerous to  delay.  He  whistled  his  men  together;  and 
in  a  few  minutes  they  marched  out  of  the  town  with 
their  spoils,  some  little  compensation  for  the  lost  treas- 
ure of  the  mule-train. 

The  toils  and  sufferings  of  that  homeward  march 
lived  long  in  the  memories  of  Dennis  and  Turnpenny. 
Drake  forced  the  pace  unmercifully,  anxious  to  get  back 
to  his  ship.  Food  ran  short;  he  would  not  stay  to 
hunt  wild  hog  or  deer.  Several  of  the  men  had  been 
wounded;  there  was  no  time  to  tend  their  wounds. 
Their  clothes  were  torn  to  tatters ;  their  boots,  even  the 
extra  pairs,  had  given  way,  and  they  were  driven  to 
bind  their  feet  with  rags.  The  faithful  maroons  served 
them  nobly,  carrying  all  the  burdens,  building  huts  for 
their  rest  at  night,  bearing  upon  their  shoulders  some 
of  the  seamen  who  were  too  exhausted  and  footsore  to 
tramp  any  longer.  A  maroon  went  forward  to  warn  the 
waiting  company  of  their  approach.  On  the  afternoon 
of  the  twenty-third  of  February,  three  weeks  after  they 
had  started  on  the  expedition,  they  tottered  out  of  the 
forest  toward  the  beach,  just  as  the  pinnace,  sent  by 
Ellis  Hixom  to  take  them  off,  scudded  inshore.  There 
on  the  glistening  sand  the  little  company  of  men,  hag- 

293 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

gard,  worn-out,  half-famished,  raised  their  husky  voices 
in  a  psalm  of  thanksgiving,  praising  God  because  they 
saw  their  pinnace  and  their  fellows  again.  In  their  grati- 
tude they  forgot  the  hardships  of  the  journey,  and  thought 
only  of  the  success  to  which  Drake  had  led  them. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

MAIDEN    ISLE   AGAIN 

As  they  sailed  back  in  the  pinnace  to  the  secret  haven, 
the  weary  adventurers  were  surrounded  by  their  com- 
rades, and  feasted  their  ears  with  wondrous  tales  of  what 
had  befallen  them.  Ellis  Hixom  also  had  a  story  to  tell. 
A  few  days  after  the  departure  of  the  company,  there 
had  staggered  into  the  clearing  three  men  in  the  last 
stage  of  exhaustion.  Two  were  English;  one,  French. 
They  were  pitiable  objects,  their  eyes  bright  with  fever, 
their  cheeks  haggard  with  famine,  their  feet  blistered  and 
bleeding  from  long  wandering  in  the  woods.  Each  man 
carried  a  bag  of  pearls. 

And  they  told  a  pitiable  story.  They  had  escaped,  they 
said,  from  captivity  in  Nombre  de  Dios,  and  set  out  with 
three  comrades,  bearing  plunder  from  the  houses  of  their 
captors.  It  was  well  known  along  the  coast  that  Drake 
was  somewhere  in  hiding,  and  they  had  marched  east- 
ward, hoping  by  good  hap  to  light  upon  his  encampment. 
But  as  they  rested  one  night,  the  leader  had  overheard  a 
plot  on  the  part  of  three  of  the  men  to  slay  the  rest  and 
make  off  with  the  booty.  Fearing  that  if  it  came  to  a 
fight  he  and  his  two  comrades  would  stand  but  little 

295 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

chance  against  the  others,  who  were  men  of  exceeding 
great  strength  and  ferocity,  the  three  had  slipped  away 
in  the  darkness,  and  had  since  been  tramping  for  days 
through  the  forest,  unable  to  find  sufficient  food,  and 
subsisting  on  berries  and  mushrooms.  Once  they  had 
almost  stumbled  into  a  village  of  maroons,  and  had  fled 
for  their  lives,  dreading  lest  they  should  be  taken  for 
Spaniards  and  slain  before  the  error  was  discovered. 

"And  where  are  they  now  ?"  asked  Drake. 

"On  the  Pascha,  sir,"  replied  Hixom,  "where  they  are 
slowly  recovering  of  their  calentures." 

"And  the  name  of  the  leader?" 

"Jan  Biddle,  by  his  own  account  a  skilful  mariner 
and—" 

"Ay,  I  have  heard  tell  of  him,"  interrupted  Drake  with 
a  grim  smile.  "Master  Hazelrig,"  he  added,  calling  Den- 
nis up,  "I  learn  that  the  captain  of  your  mutineers  awaits 
your  judgment  on  my  vessel." 

He  repeated  what  Hixom  had  told  him. 

"What  is  the  name  of  the  other  Englishman,  Master 
Hixom?"  asked  Dennis. 

"Dick  Rackstraw,  methinks.  The  Frenchman's  name 
is  Michel  Barron." 

"Then,  what  has  become  of  our  comrade,  Billy  Hawk,  1 
wonder?  Biddle  and  his  crew  deserted  from  us  with  the 
treasure,  when  we  came  ashore  in  our  boat.  Billy  Hawk 
went  after  them ;  I  fear  me  there  has  been  foul  play." 

"We  will  inquire  into  that  matter  when  we  gain  our 

296 


MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 

haven,"  said  Drake,  "and  see  what  Master  Biddle  has  to 
say  for  himself." 

As  soon  as  he  reached  the  haven,  Drake  boarded  the 
Pascha  and  called  Biddle  and  his  companions  before  him. 
He  listened  patiently  to  the  man's  wild  tale,  then  sent  a 
boat  ashore  to  bring  off  Dennis  and  Turnpenny.  Riddle's 
jaw  dropped  when  he  saw  them  come  over  the  side.  He 
attempted  to  bluster  it  out,  but  Drake  cut  him  short. 

"You  are  a  foul  liar  and  a  mutineer,"  he  said  sternly. 
"Art  a  murderer,  also  ?  What  didst  thou  to  Billy  Hawk, 
thy  comrade?  Answer  to  the  point,  villain," 

"Afore  God,  sir,  I  know  naught  of  him.  With  me 
came  but  four  men,  and  two  of  those  lie  dead  in  the  for- 
est, of  a  strange  sickness  that  gat  hold  of  them  after  they 
had  drunken  of  the  water  of  a  certain  river.  Of  Billy 
Hawk  I  saw  nor  heard  naught." 

"My  poor  comrade !"  said  Turnpenny.  "I  fear  me  he 
be  gone  or  lost." 

"These  are  your  men,"  said  Drake,  turning  to  Dennis. 
"The  punishment  of  mutiny  is  death.  Do  with  them  as 
you  list." 

"I  would  fain  leave  them  in  your  hands,  sir,"  replied 
Dennis.  "For  me,  I  would  not  that  any  man  should  die." 

"I  will  consider  of  it.  Have  them  put  in  irons  and 
carried  below." 

Next  day  he  decided,  on  Dennis'  intercession,  to  con- 
tent himself  with  holding  the  men  closely  confined  in  the 
vessel.  The  bags  of  pearls  were  taken  from  them  and 

297 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

handed  to  Dennis  and  Turnpenny.  And  ere  the  day  was 
out  Robert  Pike  was  sent  to  join  them.  Drake  had 
learned  of  the  mischievous  part  the  man  had  played, 
which  had  resulted  in  the  failure  of  his  attack  on  the 
mule-trains. 

"A  little  darkness  and  solitude  may  teach  him  to  re- 
frain from  the  bottle,"  he  said. 

The  enterprise  had  so  nearly  succeeded  that  when 
Drake  declared  he  would  make  the  attempt  again,  as  soon 
as  the  time  came  for  another  convoy  of  treasure  to  cross 
the  isthmus,  every  man  of  his  company  eagerly  besought 
him  for  a  place  in  the  expedition.  But  Dennis  reminded 
him  of  his  promise  to  lend  him  a  pinnace  in  which  to 
sail  to  Maiden  Isle  and  bring  off  his  comrades. 

"I  will  hold  to  my  words,"  said  Drake.  "You  and 
your  brawny  henchmen  have  suffered  less  than  the  most 
of  my  men,  by  reason,  I  wot,  of  your  being  inured  to 
hardships  on  your  island.  Some  days  must  needs  pass 
before  we  are  ready  to  attempt  other  enterprises.  The 
island  is  but  a  day's  sail,  you  said?" 

"Ay,  sir,  and  with  good  hap  we  should  return  on  the 
second  day,  or  the  third,  at  most." 

"Then  take  the  Minion  pinnace,  and  good  hap  go  with 
you!  You  will  need  men.  Choose  out  eight  according 
to  your  minds,  and  a  few  maroons  also.  Juan  was  with 
you,  I  bethink  me;  he  will  doubtless  serve  you  right 
faithfully.  In  sooth,  I  shall  be  mightily  rejoiced  to  have 
with  me  the  dozen  men  you  go  to  find,  for  if  they  be  in 

298 


MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 

spirit  and  body  like  to  you  and  your  henchman,  they  will 
be  most  serviceable  when  I  make  my  next  journey  to 
Panama.  I  would  go  fetch  them  myself,  as  I  had  pur- 
posed, but  that  our  preparations  demand  my  presence 
here." 

Next  day,  then,  the  Minion  pinnace  sailed  out  of  the 
little  haven  with  a  crew  of  eight  Englishmen  and  five 
maroons,  three  of  whom  were  the  men  who  had  accom- 
panied Dennis  from  the  island.  Mirandola  also  was  on 
board.  He  had  disappeared  when  Dennis  set  off  with 
Drake  to  cross  the  isthmus,  but  had  evidently  kept  a 
watch  on  the  settlement,  for  the  day  after  they  returned 
he  came  out  of  the  forest  and  attached  himself  to  his 
old  master  with  demonstrations  of  delight.  A  brisk 
breeze  was  blowing  offshore ;  the  pinnace  was  a  first-rate 
sailer  and  they  continued  to  make  good  speed;  by  mid- 
day they  were  in  sight  of  the  island,  and  in  the  afternoon 
they  rounded  the  shoulder  of  the  cliff,  Turnpenny  steer- 
ing the  vessel  into  the  gully. 

Dennis,  standing  in  the  bows,  caught  sight  of  a  group 
of  men  beyond  the  pool,  near  his  sheds.  They  were 
partly  hidden  by  the  foliage,  and  when  they  saw  the 
strange  vessel  making  straight  toward  them,  with  the 
evident  intention  of  coming  to  an  anchorage,  they  took 
to  their  heels  and  disappeared. 

"Poor  souls !  They  take  us  for  Spaniards,"  said  Turn- 
penny. "Ise  warrant  they  be  most  desperately  in  the 
dumps.  Tis  nigh  a  month  since  we  departed  hence." 

299 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

The  pinnace  dropped  anchor  beside  the  Maid  Marian, 
and  the  men  went  ashore. 

"Blow  a  blast,"  said  Dennis  to  one  of  the  men  who 
carried  a  trumpet,  "with  notes  that  will  be  familiar  to 
their  ears." 

As  the  shrill  notes  rang  out,  he  stepped  ahead  of  the 
men,  with  Mirandola  on  his  shoulder.  Before  long  a 
man  appeared  among  the  trees  far  up  the  chine. 

"Hallo,  hoy !"  shouted  Turnpenny.  "Be  that  you,  Tom 
Copstone?  Come,  comrade,  never  be  afeard.  We've 
come  to  take  'ee  off,  poor  soul,  and  bring  'ee  to  Master 
Drake,  who  will  make  us  all  rich  with  much  gold  and 
treasure.  Come,  my  hearts,  Ned  Whiddon,  and  Hugh 
Curder,  and  all." 

Turnpenny's  well-known  voice  was  more  successful 
than  the  trumpet  notes  in  banishing  the  men's  mistrust. 
Soon  they  came  hasting  down  the  gully,  Copstone 
leading. 

"I  said  it,  I  knew  it!"  he  cried  as  he  approached. 
"  'You  and  me,  Haymoss' — the  blessed  words  stayed  in 
my  noddle,  and  I  knew  'ee  would  come  back  somewhen, 
dear  soul.  But  we  be  in  piteous  case.  'Tis  a  long  ninny- 
watch  we  ha'  kept,  and  hope  was  well-nigh  drownded, 
sir.  We  could  not  make  it  out;  we  was  mazed,  every 
man  of  us ;  but  you  be  come  back,  praise  be  to  God !" 

He  told  how  the  disappearance  of  the  Mirandola  had 
filled  them  first  with  consternation,  then  with  bitter  rage. 
Some  of  the  men  declared  that  they  had  been  decoyed  to 

300 


MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 

the  island ;  that  they  had  been  betrayed  and  deserted  for 
the  sake  of  the  treasure.  From  the  first  Copstone  and 
Whiddon  had  absolutely  refused  to  believe  that  Dennis 
and  Turnpenny  had  wilfully  left  them;  Hugh  Curder, 
indeed,  had  made  a  shrewd  guess  at  what  had  actually 
happened;  but  the  rest  clung  to  their  first  notion,  gave 
way  to  bursts  of  rage  and  reviling,  and  as  the  days  passed 
settled  down  into  a  state  of  moody  despair. 

Copstone  had  tried  to  induce  them  to  fit  out  the  Maid 
Marian  for  sea,  but  he  had  found  it  impossible  to  whip 
up  enough  energy  among  them.  They  had  some  reason 
for  their  reluctance,  inasmuch  as,  the  stores  of  the  Maid 
Marian  having  been  put  aboard  the  Mirandola,  there 
was  no  provision  for  a  long  voyage.  The  fruits  of  the 
island  would  spoil  in  a  week  or  so,  whereas  if  they  clung 
to  the  island  they  were  at  least  sure  of  finding  a  sufficient 
subsistence.  But  they  had  -been  troubled  even  on  this 
point,  for  some  of  the  men  fell  ill  through  recklessly  eat- 
ing fruits  and  berries  without  first  ascertaining  whether 
they  were  fit  for  food,  and  with  broken  health  their  spirits 
had  been  still  further  depressed. 

"Poor  souls !"  said  Turnpenny.  "  'Ee  do  look  a  wan- 
gery  and  witherly  crew.  But  'ee  be  all  here,  all  twelve, 
not  a  man  lacking.  My  heart,  where  be  Gabriel  Batten  ?" 

"He  never  come  back !" 

"Never  come  back!    What  do  'ee  mean?" 

"We  looked  for  en,  up  along  and  down  along,  but  nary 
a  crim  of  him  did  we  see." 

301 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Ay,  and  another  be  gone,  too,"  said  Hugh  Curder. 
"But  a  se'nnight  agone,  poor  Joe  Toogood  vanished  out 
of  our  sight,  and  we  never  seed  him  again.  Where  can 
'ee  be  gone?" 

"Be  there  devils  upon  the  island,  Haymoss?"  asked 
Ned  Whiddon  anxiously.  "Be  there  pixies  that  lead  poor 
souls  into  some  ditch  or  quagmire,  where  they  be  swal- 
lowed quick  in  the  pluffy  ground?  Once  we  was  bold 
mariners  all,  but  now  we  be  poor,  timorsome  creatures, 
afeard  when  the  wind  soughs  in  the  trees." 

Dennis  remembered  the  boa-constrictor  from  whose 
clammy  coils  he  had  saved  the  monkey  that  now  sat  upon 
his  shoulder. 

"  'Twas  no  sprites  nor  pixies,  comrades,"  he  said. 
"Without  doubt  they  came  unawares  upon  a  big  serpent 
that  charmed  them  first  with  his  fiery  eyes,  and  then 
swathed  them  in  his  fearsome  coils  till  he  had  crushed 
the  life  out  of  them.  Poor  souls !  poor  souls !" 

"But  now  'tis  time  to  be  merry,  lads,"  said  Amos 
quickly,  "for  here  we  be,  and  our  pinnace  yonder  is 
named  the  Minion,  the  same  as  the  bark  that  Captain 
Hampton  handled  so  cunningly  at  St.  John  d'Ulua;  and 
we  be  goin'  to  take  'ee  all  back  to  Master  Drake,  who 
lies  by  a  secret  haven,  in  little,  small  huts  built  by  the 
maroons,  and  there  be  archery  butts,  and  a  smith's  anvil 
and  other  such  homely  things.  And  we  have  seen  won- 
drous things,  my  lads — the  blue  South  Sea  beyond,  and 
the  treasure  town,  and  Master  Drake  be  set  on  leading  us 

302 


MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 

forth  to  adventure  for  gold  and  jewels  beyond  price. 
Tis  time  to  be  merry,  souls!" 

And,  catching  the  infection  of  his  cheery  good  will, 
Hugh  Curder  flung  his  hat  in  the  air  and  began : 

"111  is  the  weather  that  bringeth  no  gain, 
Nor  helps  good  hearts  in  need." 

Dennis  had  transferred  to  the  Mirandola — now,  alas! 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sea — the  greater  part  of  the  Maid 
Marian's  stores  that  he  kept  in  his  sheds ;  but  there  was 
a  goodly  remnant  still  in  the  cave,  and  this  he  determined 
to  put  on  board  the  Minion  and  carry  to  Port  Diego. 
The  afternoon  was  too  far  advanced  for  this  work  to  be 
completed  that  night;  so  he  determined  to  sleep  on  the 
island  and  make  an  early  start  next  morning.  As  soon 
as  it  was  light  he  sent  a  number  of  Turnpenny's  old 
comrades  in  different  directions  across  the  island  to  get 
a  supply  of  fresh  fruit,  while  the  men  he  had  brought 
from  the  mainland  set  .about  carrying  the  stores  from 
the  cave  to  the  pinnace. 

They  had  not  been  long  at  the  work,  however,  when 
Ned  Whiddon  came  hurrying  back. 

"God-a-mercy,  sir!"  he  cried.  "We  have  spied  a  crew 
of  strangers  on  the  south  shore,  and  in  the  offing  two 
vessels  at  anchor.  They  be  all  clad  and  armed  in  the 
Spanish  fashion,  and  when  they  set  eyes  on  us  they  gave 
chase,  and  but  that  we  know  the  island  now  as  well  as  we 
know  the  lanes  to  home,  none  of  us  would  have  'scaped." 

303 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

Other  men  came  in  while  he  was  speaking.  Dennis 
trembled  for  the  fate  of  those  who  had  gone  toward  the 
northern  shore  and  had  not  yet  returned. 

"  Tis  ill  news  indeed,"  he  said.  "Run,  Curder,  after 
the  men  that  have  gone  northward,  and  warn  them  that 
Spaniards  are  here  to  trouble  us,  lest  they  have  not 
already  discovered  it.  Comrades,"  he  added,  addressing 
the  men  about  him,  whose  countenances  bespoke  their 
alarm,  "comrades,  we  must  take  counsel  together.  What 
think  you,  Amos,  we  should  do?" 

"Why,  sir,  we  should  steal  out  in  the  pinnace  as  soon 
as  our  men  be  back  along,  leaving  these  stores,  and  thread 
a  way  betwixt  the  reefs  to  nor'ward;  for  the  knaves 
could  not  follow  us  save  in  their  boats." 

"Ay,  sir,"  said  Copstone,  "that  be  the  true  way  of  it. 
God  send  the  tide  be  high  enough  to  serve." 

"Then  get  aboard  and  make  all  ready  to  depart.  Amos, 
look  to  all  things,  and  make  the  rest  of  our  comrades  to 
embark  as  they  arrive.  I  will  run  to  the  top  of  the  cliff 
to  spy  if  the  coast  be  clear."  , 

But  on  reaching  the  spot  whence  he  had  so  often  be- 
fore looked  longingly  and  vainly  for  a  sail,  he  made  a 
most  unwelcome  discovery.  About  a  mile  to  the  south- 
west of  the  island  lay  a  large  vessel,  which,  since  she  was 
busily  engaged  in  signaling,  was  clearly  a  consort  of  the 
two  ships  that  Whiddon  had  seen.  Keeping  well  under 
cover,  Dennis  raced  along,  to  a  point  half  a  mile  south, 
•whence  the  whole  southern  offing  was  visible.  There^ 


MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 

were  the  two  vessels ;  and,  even  as  he  looked,  a  boat  was 
lowered  from  the  nearer  of  them,  rapidly  filled  with 
men,  and  was  rowed  toward  the  sandy  beach  on  which 
Dennis  had  been  cast  up. 

The  sight  was  enough  to  cause  the  boldest  heart  to 
quake.  If  the  pinnace  ran  out  of  the  gully,  she  would 
have  to  pass  within  half  a  mile  of  the  ship,  for  the  tide 
was  low,  and  even  the  little  Minion  drew  too  much  water 
to  make  her  way  northward  until  she  had  run  at  least 
half  a  mile  out  to  sea.  This  would  bring  her  presently 
under  the  guns  of  the  third  vessel,  and  the  Spaniards 
must  be  poor  marksmen  indeed  if  they  failed  to  hit  her 
at  this  range. 

He  was  beginning  to  retrace  his  steps  when  Turnpenny 
came  up  hurriedly. 

"We  be  all  aboard,  sir,  save  yourself  and  Nick  Joland. 
Have  'ee  seen  him?" 

"No." 

"He  be  but  late  better  of  a  fever,  as  Tom  telled  me ; 
pray  he  be  not  swooned." 

At  this  moment  they  heard  loud  shouts  to  their  right. 
Running  down  through  the  trees,  careful  not  to  expose 
themselves,  they  saw  four  Spaniards  chasing  this  very 
man  Joland,  a  thin,  cadaverous-looking  man,  whose  stum- 
bling gait  betrayed  his  weakness.  He  was  making  almost 
in  a  straight  line  for  a  large  begonia  bush  that  stood 
alone  at  the  end  of  the  narrow  clearing  just  below  where 
the  two  men  were  watching. 

305 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

With  one  accord  Dennis  and  Turnpenny  stole  to  the 
bush  and  dropped  down  behind  it. 

"Let  Joland  pass,"  whispered  Dennis;  "then  we  can 
tackle  the  knaves  as  they  come  up." 

"Without  arms?"  replied  Turnpenny. 

Dennis  nodded.  In  a  few  moments  the  fugitive,  pant- 
ing hard,  ran  past  the  bush.  The  four  Spaniards,  run- 
ning in  a  body,  were  close  at  his  heels. 

"Now!"  Dennis  whispered. 

They  sprang  out  with  a  yell,  and,  though  they  were 
unarmed,  the  odds  were  not  utterly  against  them,  for 
the  Spaniards  were  startled  by  this  unexpected  onset. 
A  single  blow  from  Turnpenny's  sledge-hammer  fist 
stretched  one  of  them  senseless  on  the  ground.  Dennis 
felled  his  man,  but  his  arm  was  less  powerful,  and  the 
Spaniard  began  dizzily  to  regain  his  feet  while  Dennis 
grappled  with  another.  As  he  rose  he  reeled  just  within 
reach  of  Turnpenny's  arm.  Catching  him  round  the 
middle,  the  seaman  flung  him  bodily  at  the  fourth  Span- 
iard, who  was  making  furiously  at  him  with  drawn  sword. 
Their  heads  collided  with  a  terrific  thud,  and  down  they 
fell  on  the  grass  together. 

Meanwhile  Dennis  had  come  to  grips  with  the  third 
man,  a  heavy  and  muscular  fellow,  who  had  only  been 
prevented  by  the  suddenness  of  the  onslaught  from  using 
his  sword,  which  he  was  unable  in  the  surprise  of  the 
moment  to  shorten  before  Dennis  was  within  his  guard. 
Dropping  the  weapon,  he  strove  to  crush  his  antagonist 

306 


MAIDEN  ISLE  AGAIN 

by  sheer  strength.  But  Dennis  was  a  wrestler.  He 
neatly  tripped  the  Spaniard,  who  fell,  dragging  his  oppo- 
nent with  him.  With  a  tremendous  effort,  he  heaved 
himself  uppermost  and  pinned  Dennis  to  the  ground. 
His  hand  was  already  on  Dennis'  throat,  when  suddenly 
a  dark  object  hurtled  through  the  air,  striking  him  with 
terrific  force  on  the  side  of  the  head.  His  grip  relaxed, 
and  he  fell  with  a  groan  upon  Dennis,  the  object  that  had 
struck  him  clattering  to  the  ground. 

Dennis  was  up  in  a  moment.  The  strange  missile  was 
the  head-piece  of  one  of  the  Spaniards.  It  had  fallen 
from  his  head  in  the  tussle,  and  been  picked  up  by  Nick 
Joland,  who,  seeing  the  diversion  in  his  favor,  had  hur- 
ried up  at  the  critical  moment  in  time  to  save  Dennis  from 
strangulation. 

"Dead  as  door-nails!"  said  Turnpenny  succinctly,  see- 
ing Dennis  glance  at  the  Spaniards  on  the  ground.  "  'Tis 
a  terrible  heave-up,  sir ;  we  were  best  to  run  back  to  our 
comrades  in  the  pinnace,  for  there  be  gashly  work  afore 
us.  And  we  will  take  these  knaves'  swords  and  calivers. 
Crymaces !  there  be  more  running  toward  us,  and  a  round 
dozen;  we  durst  not  bide  their  coming.  We  have  but 
bare  time  to  get  back  to  the  chine.  Stir  your  stumps, 
Nick  Joland ;  we  can't  save  'ee  twice,  man." 


.CHAPTER   XXII 

A  FIGHT  ON   THE   CLIFFS 

The  three  doubled  toward  the  chine,  which  was  little 
more  than  half  a  mile  away.  The  Spaniards  saw  them 
ere  they  disappeared  among  the  trees,  and  followed  with 
loud  shouts,  quickening  their  pace  when  they  reached  the 
spot  where  their  comrades  lay.  But  the  Englishmen, 
knowing  the  ground,  came  in  good  time  to  the  edge  of 
the  gully,  where  a  steep  and  winding  path  led  down  to 
the  ledge  on  which  the  huts  were  built  From  the  sum- 
mit the  ledge  was  not  visible. 

"Shall  we  run  down  at  once,  or  give  them  a  taste  of 
their  own  lead  first  ?"  asked  Dennis,  halting  for  a  moment. 

"Give  the  knaves  a  taste,  to  be  sure,"  replied  Amos. 
"They  know  not  how  many  we  be,  nor  can  they  see 
through  the  trees;  and  we  must  needs  check  them,  to 
give  us  time  to  acquaint  our  comrades  with  what  is  to- 
ward, and  set  our  defenses  in  order." 

While  speaking  he  had  kindled  the  matches  taken 
from  the  Spaniards.  The  calivers  were  already  loaded. 
Crouching  behind  the  thick  bushes  that  lined  the  edge  of 
the  gully,  they  fired  when  they  caught  sight  of  the  Span- 
iards advancing  among  the  trees.  Two  of  the  enemy 

308 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

fell;  the  rest  halted;  and,  while  they  stood  considering 
whether  to  advance,  the  three  Englishmen  hurried  down 
the  path,  guessing  that  the  Spaniards  would  hardly  ven- 
ture to  follow  while  they  were  ignorant  of  the  size  of 
the  force  with  which  they  had  to  deal. 

Arriving  at  the  ledge,  Turnpenny  gave  a  hail  to  the  men 
on  the  deck  of  the  pinnace,  bidding  them  leave  the  vessel 
and  bring  their  arms  and  ammunition  with  them.  They 
had  been  much  alarmed  by  the  continued  absence  of  their 
leaders,  and  by  the  sound  of  the  shots,  and  asked  anx- 
iously, when  they  reached  the  ledge,  what  was  to  be  done. 
Dennis  rapidly  told  them  what  he  had  seen  from  the 
summit  of  the  cliff,  and  how  for  the  present  the  Span- 
iards had  been  checked;  and  then,  taking  Turnpenny 
and  two  or  three  of  the  others  aside,  began  to  concert  a 
plan  of  defense. 

The  position  was  naturally  a  strong  one.  The  ledge 
was  accessible  only  by  the  narrow  path  from  the  cliff- 
top,  and  by  a  few  yards  of  steep  ascent  from  the  base  of 
the  gully.  It  was  protected  from  attack  from  above  by 
the  overhanging  cliff;  it  could  only  be  assaulted  from 
below  if  the  enemy  got  into  the  bed  of  the  gully,  either 
by  coming  in  boats  round  the  shoulder  of  the  cliff,  or  by 
clambering  down  the  sides  inland.  The  gully  was  forty 
yards  across ;  the  opposite  bank  was  steep  and  much  over- 
grown with  vegetation,  trees  and  bushes  growing  thick 
to  the  very  edge.  Down  the  middle  ran  the  stream  from 
the  marsh,  very  shallow  after  a  season  of  dry  weather. 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

On  their  own  side  the  defenders  could  pick  off  the  enemy 
if  they  came  to  attack  them  along  the  narrow  path ;  they 
were  in  danger  only  if  the  Spaniards  took  post  on  the 
summit  of  the  bank  opposite;  and  they  could  not  reach 
that  spot  except  by  making  a  long  circuit  about  the 
marsh  in  which  the  stream  took  its  rise,  or  by  clambering 
down  the  southern  bank  some  distance  up-stream,  wading 
through  the  water  and  climbing  the  other  side.  This 
would  be  a  matter  of  an  hour  or  two  at  least — an  invalu- 
able respite  which  Dennis  resolved  to  make  the  most  of. 
He  sent  one  of  the  maroons  up  the  path  to  keep  watch 
on  the  enemy,  and  another  to  cross  the  gully,  clamber  up 
the  opposite  face,  and  hide  among  the  trees,  there  to  give 
notice  of  an  approach  from  the  northeast.  The  other 
maroons,  with  several  of  the  Englishmen,  he  set  to  fortify 
the  extremity  of  the  ledge  with  a  wall  of  branches,  so 
that  the  party  might  be  screened  from  gunshot  on  the 
other  side.  Turnpenny,  with  the  strongest  of  the  mari- 
ners, went  down  to  the  pinnace,  and,  at  the  cost  of  great 
exertion,  brought  up  the  falcon  and  rabinets  which 
formed,  with  the  exception  of  a  saker,  her  armament. 
The  saker  was  a  muzzle-loader  weighing  more  than  half 
a  ton,  and  too  cumbrous  to  be  hauled  up  the  steep  cliff ; 
but  the  falcon  was  less  than  half  that  weight,  and  the  two 
rabinets  weighed  only  three  hundred  pounds  apiece.  The 
falcon  was  seven  feet  long,  had  a  bore  of  two  and  a  half 
inches,  and  threw  a  shot  of  three  pounds'  weight,  with  a 
similar  weight  of  powder.  The  rabinet  was  only  two 

310 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

and  a  half  feet  in  length,  its  bore  was  one  inch,  and  its 
shot  weighed  only  half  a  pound.  Both  guns  had  a  point- 
blank  range  of  from  a  hundred  and  twenty  to  a  hundred 
and  fifty  yards,  and,  mounted  on  the  ledge,  in  embrasures 
of  the  extemporized  wall,  they  would  prove  very  effective 
weapons  of  defense. 

While  the  guns  were  being  hauled  into  position,  others 
of  the  men  brought  buckets  of  water,  filled  at  the  cliff 
stream,  and  emptied  them  into  the  casks  which,  during 
the  months  spent  on  the  island  by  Dennis  and  the  sailors, 
had  been  depleted  of  the  stores  they  had  held  when 
brought  from  the  hold  of  the  Maid  Marian.  Two  casks 
still  remained  full  of  cider,  but  this  having  gone  sour  in 
the  heat,  it  was  poured  away,  the  casks  were  swilled  out, 
and  refilled  with  water.  It  was  fortunate  that  a  pure 
spring  welled  in  the  cliff,  for  the  water  of  the  rivulet 
draining  the  marsh,  being  brackish  and  slimy,  was  unfit 
for  drinking. 

All  the  men  worked  with  a  will.  They  knew  not  as 
yet  how  many  the  enemy  numbered,  but  since  there  were 
three  vessels,  of  which  each,  if  fully  manned,  might 
contain  from  forty  to  seventy  men,  they  had  to  reckon 
with  a  force  that  might  be  from  a  hundred  and  twenty 
to  more  than  two  hundred  strong.  The  odds  were  tre- 
mendously against  them.  All  told,  they  numbered  only 
twenty-six,  of  whom  six  were  maroons.  But  they  had 
only  two  courses  open  to  them — to  fight  and  at  least  sell 
their  lives  dearly,  or  to  yield,  and  be  shot  or  hanged  or 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

haled  away  to  a  slavery  worse  than  death.  Not  one  of 
them  hesitated  in  his  choice. 

As  a  last  resort,  Dennis  had  the  cave  to  fall  back  upon ; 
but  he  was  loath  to  retire  to  it  until  he  had  made  a  good 
fight  at  the  gully;  for  while,  from  the  ledge  on  which 
his  hut  stood,  he  could  command  the  entrance  of  the 
gully  and  to  some  extent  protect  the  pinnace,  the  cave 
was  deeper  in  the  cliff  and  out  of  sight;  and,  however 
strenuously  the  party  might  defend  itself  there,  the  pin- 
nace would  then  be  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy.  It  was 
true  that,  even  if  the  pinnace  were  carried  away  or  de- 
stroyed, a  canoe  could  be  dug  out  by  the  maroons,  so 
that  they  would  still  have  means  of  leaving  the  island; 
but  Dennis  was  determined  to  sail  the  Minion  back  to 
Port  Diego  and  to  Francis  Drake. 

Midday  came,  and  passed.  The  maroons  had  finished 
their  wall;  the  guns  were  mounted  and  charged;  the 
water-casks  were  filled:  and  still  there  was  no  sign  of 
the  enemy.  But  the  scouts  had  not  returned,  and  Dennis 
began  to  feel  somewhat  uneasy.  What  were  the  Span- 
iards doing? 

"Have  we  left  aught  undone,  think  you?"  he  said  to 
Turnpenny,  as  they  sat  on  upturned  tubs,  eating  their 
dinner. 

"Nowt,  sir,  as  I  can  see.  But  methinks  'tud  be  well  to 
withdraw  the  muzzles  of  our  guns  somewhat.  If  the 
knaves  come  on  t'other  side  and  spy  them,  they  may  sheer 
off  and  seek  some  other  way  of  troubling  us;  and  I 

312 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

would  that  they  came  to  close  quarters  here,  where  we 
can  strike  them  down." 

"  'Tis  good  counsel.  Not  perceiving  the  guns,  they 
will  be  the  more  emboldened  to  attack  us,  and  'twere  well 
we  have  occasion  to  teach  them  a  sound  lesson." 

Accordingly  the  guns  were  withdrawn  so  that  their 
muzzles  did  not  project  from  the  other  side  of  the  wall. 
Hardly  had  this  been  done  when  the  nose  of  a  boat  was 
seen  shooting  round  the  shoulder  of  the  cliff. 

"Lookeedesee !"  cried  Turnpenny.  "The  knaves  that 
followed  us  did  assuredly  go  back  to  their  comrades  and 
told  them  of  the  gully  and  the  path  downward,  and  they 
have  sent  their  cock-boat  to  spy  the  place  from  the  sea." 

"Let  us  keep  out  of  sight  and  watch  what  they  do," 
said  Dennis. 

The  boat,  filled  with  armed  men,  came  under  full  sweep 
of  oars  up  the  entrance  to  the  gully.  When  it  was  still 
some  distance  from  the  pinnace  the  men  rested  on  their 
oars,  and  one  rose  in  the  bows  to  look  about  him.  For 
some  time  he  saw  nothing  to  indicate  that  the  place  was 
defended,  and  his  fellows  in  the  boat  began  to  talk  over 
the  situation,  the  sound  of  their  voices  coming  clearly  to 
the  men  behind  the  wall.  Then,  as  the  boat  again  moved 
toward  the  pool,  some  one  in  it  suddenly  caught  sight  of 
the  barricaded  ledge,  and  the  voices  broke  out  once  more 
in  eager  discussion.  The  upshot  of  this  was  that  they 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  pinnace  had  been  aban- 
doned to  her  fate,  and  with  a  shout  of  triumph  they  bent 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

lustily  to  their  oars  and  came  on  with  the  evident  inten- 
tion of  securing  the  vessel. 

But  they  were  now  within  range  of  the  calivers  of  the 
defenders.  At  a  sign  from  Dennis  eight  of  the  men 
stepped  forward  to  the  wall,  lit  their  matches,  and,  resting 
the  weapons  on  the  top,  fired  when  he  gave  the  word. 
Several  of  the  oarsmen  were  seen  to  fall  back;  the  boat 
came  to  a  stop ;  and,  while  the  Spaniards  were  hesitating 
whether  to  advance  or  retreat,  eight  more  men  sent  a  hot 
volley  among  them,  working  havoc  in  the  crowded  boat. 
Cries  of  pain  were  now  mingled  with  their  shouts;  the 
defenders  heard  a  loud  word  of  command ;  and  the  row- 
ers began  to  back  water  so  as  not  to  present  the  side  of 
the  boat  to  the  hidden  marksmen.  When  the  boat  was 
out  of  danger  it  swung  round  on  the  current,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  disappeared  round  the  shoulder  of  the  cliff. 

Scarcely  was  it  out  of  sight  when  the  maroon  who  had 
been  sent  up  the  cliff  to  the  south  came  running  down 
the  path.  He  reported  that  he  had  stealthily  spied  upon 
the  Spaniards,  who  had  been  baffled  when  Dennis  and 
Turnpenny  vanished  over  the  edge;  they  had  returned 
to  the  southern  shore,  where  they  rejoined  a  larger  party 
which  had  assembled  there.  A  council  had  been  held  on 
the  beach;  horns  were  sounded,  no  doubt  to  recall  scat- 
tered bands  who  had  been  ranging  the  island  in  other 
directions;  more  men  had  been  sent  off  from  the  ships; 
and  the  whole  force,  numbering,  as  near  as  he  could 
guess,  nearly  two  hundred  men,  had  set  off  with  matches 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

already  lighted,  marching  northward.  Moreover,  the 
third  vessel,  which  had  been  lying  off  the  southwestern 
shore,  was  working  slowly  up  the  coast. 

"  'Twas  from  her,  without  doubt,  the  boat  put  off  that 
we  have  lately  routed,"  said  Dennis.  "The  men  aboard 
will  tell  what  they  have  seen.  What  will  be  the  upshot, 
think  you,  Amos?" 

"Be  jowned  if  I  can  tell,  sir.  My  counsel  is,  let  the 
maroon  go  back  and  spy  upon  them.  An  the  knaves 
march  directly  northward  they  will  come  upon  the  gully 
just  above  us,  and  methinks,  however  stout  they  be,  they 
will  not  dare  to  come  down  the  path,  where  we  can  shoot 
them  man  by  man." 

It  was  done  as  he  suggested.  Within  half  an  hour  the 
maroon  came  back  with  the  news  that  the  boat  had  been 
run  ashore  on  low  ground  to  the  west;  many  wounded 
men  had  been  lifted  out  of  it;  and  the  majority  of  the 
Spaniards  had  hastened  across  country  to  rejoin  the 
marching  force.  It  halted  while  a  consultation  was  held ; 
then  the  march  was  resumed,  but  this  time  in  a  more 
easterly  direction,  which  would  bring  them  to  the  gully 
at  a  point  about  midway  between  the  ledge  and  the 
morass,  where  the  banks  were  sufficiently  low  and  the 
stream  sufficiently  shallow  to  permit  them  to  cross  with- 
out difficulty. 

"They  be  coming  about  to  fire  down  at  us  from  t'other 
side,"  said  Turnpenny. 

"Over  the  wall,"  added  Copstone. 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"We  can  fire  back/'  said  Whiddon. 

"Zuggers !  but  twenty  of  us  can  not  keep  two  hundred 
in  check,"  said  Hugh  Curder  anxiously. 

"Say  you  so?"  said  Dennis:  "Master  Drake  with  but 
few  more  did  assault  and  take  a  whole  town.  The  Span- 
iards have  learned  the  worth  of  an  English  mariner ;  they 
will  not  approach  us  rashly.  And  they  know  not  the 
ground  as  we  know  it.  'Twill  be  a  matter  of  time  to 
cross  the  gully  and  climb  the  bank  and  creep  along 
through  the  trees  on  the  farther  side  until  they  face  us 
here.  There  is — you  know  it  well — a  space  on  the  oppo- 
site cliff  where  the  trees  grow  somewhat  thin;  a  space 
which  the  knaves  must  cross  an  they  wish  to  gain  the 
edge.  Might  we  not  ensconce  ourselves  on  the  hither 
border  of  that  space,  and  fire  upon  them  as  they  come ! 
We  are  not  able,  it  is  true,  a  poor  twenty,  to  withstand 
the  fervent  assault  of  two  hundred ;  but  we  can  assuredly 
delay  them,  and  teach  them  somewhat  to  respect  us,  and 
give  time  withal  for  our  wall  to  be  increased  in  height ; 
meseems  it  is  lower  than  is  proper.  What  say  you,  lads ; 
shall  we  do  this?" 

"But  how  get  back  to  this  our  fort,  sir?"  asked  one  of 
Drake's  men.  "We  must  fall  back  before  them  if  they 
push  on,  and  then  methinks  they  might  drive  us  over  the 
brink,  so  that  we  fall  headlong  to  the  bottom,  and  break 
in  pieces." 

"Nay,  Wetherall,"  replied  Dennis.  "We  would  take 
two,  or  even  three,  calivers  apiece,  whereby  we  twenty 

316 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

become  sixty,  and  I  warrant  me  we  could  do  so  much 
damage  among  them  that  they  would  pause  ere  they 
resolved  to  bring  it  to  a  push.  And  while  they  paused, 
we  should  have  time  to  scramble  down  through  the  trees 
and  shrubs,  and  up  this  side  again,  and  come  to  our 
wall,  mayhap,  before  they  won  to  the  edge.  Assuredly 
we  can  do  them  more  hurt  yonder  than  if  we  wait  until 
they  stand  in  serried  mass  face  to  face  with  us  above. 
Shall  we  do  it,  lads,  for  the  honor  of  England?" 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  shouted  the  men,  fired  by  his  enthusiasm 
and  confidence ;  and  Hugh  Curder  began  to  troll : 

"And  hey  for  the  honor  of  Old  England, 
Old  England,  Old  England!" 

The  move  was  instantly  begun.  Dennis  bade  four  of 
the  maroons  weave  more  branches  into  the  wall.  The  rest 
of  the  men,  with  two  loaded  calivers  apiece — three  were 
found  to  be  too  cumbrous  a  load — followed  Dennis  down 
the  cliff,  forded  the  stream  on  rocks  that  lay  just  above 
the  pool  where  the  pinnace  and  the  Maid  Marian  lay, 
and  clambered  up  the  opposite  cliff  by  a  zigzag  path, 
assisting  themselves  by  the  branches  and  projecting  roots 
of  trees.  Arriving  at  the  summit,  they  waited  only  to 
light  their  matches,  then  hurried  forward  through  the 
undergrowth  to  the  edge  of  the  somewhat  open  space 
which  the  enemy  must  cross.  Each  man  posted  himself 
behind  a  convenient  tree.  For  two  hundred  yards  in 
their  front  there  were  only  a  few  scattered  trees  and 

317 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

bushes.  Dennis  wished  there  were  time  to  fell  these  and 
so  deprive  the  enemy  wholly  of  cover;  but  even  if  they 
could  have  been  cut  down,  there  was  no  means  at  hand 
of  dragging  them  away,  and  they  would  give  less  pro- 
tection if  left  erect  than  if  they  lay  lengthwise  across 
the  space. 

About  half  an  hour  after  they  had  thus  taken  up  their 
positions,  the  maroon  who  had  previously  been  sent 
across  the  gully  as  a  scout  came  running  back  to  announce 
that  the  enemy  were  approaching.  They  were  marching 
with  great  caution,  the  soldiers  blowing  on  their  smol- 
dering matches  to  keep  them  alight.  Dennis  ordered 
the  maroon  to  post  himself  behind  a  tree,  and  the  little 
party  waited  in  breathless  silence  for  the  enemy  to 
appear. 

At  last  one  or  two  men  could  be  seen  among  the  trees 
on  the  other  side  of  the  clearing.  They  halted,  evidently 
waiting  for  the  main  body  to  appear  before  they  moved 
across.  Dennis  took  advantage  of  the  interval  to  whis- 
per his  orders  to  the  men.  If  the  enemy  did  not  come 
on  in  a  mass,  and  at  the  charge,  only  alternate  men  were 
to  fire  the  first  volley,  then,  if  they  had  time,  to  reload 
their  pieces,  still  having  the  second  loaded  caliver  in 
reserve. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  gleam  of  the  Spaniards'  head- 
pieces and  shoulder-plates  was  seen  as  they  joined  the 
advance  scouts  among  the  trees.  Then,  as  it  were  out 
of  the  leafy  wall,  some  twenty  men  marched  resolutely 

318 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

forward  in  closed  ranks,  clearly  without  any  suspicion 
that  the  woods  beyond  were  occupied.  Dennis  waited 
until  they  were  half-way  across  the  open  space,  then  he 
sounded  the  "Hoo !  hoo !"  which  was  the  maroons'  signal 
in  wood  fighting.  The  calivers  flashed  from  the  belt 
of  trees ;  several  of  the  enemy  fell ;  the  rest,  startled  and 
confused  by  this  sudden  and  unexpected  attack,  rushed 
back  instantly  upon  the  main  body,  while  the  men  who 
had  fired  began  in  all  haste  to  reload. 

But  they  had  no  time  to  complete  the  priming  of  their 
weapons.  A  shout  was  heard  from  beyond  the  clearing. 
Immediately  afterward  a  tall  Spaniard,  whom  his  dress 
marked  out  as  an  officer,  dashed  forward  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  carrying  a  short,  heavy  pistol  of  the  kind 
known  to  Englishmen  as  "daggs."  With  a  yell  the  whole 
body  followed  at  his  heels.  For  a  moment  it  seemed 
to  Dennis  that  nothing  could  stay  the  rush;  he  and  his 
little  party  must  be  overwhelmed.  But  he  called  aloud 
to  his  men  to  hold  their  fire  until  the  Spaniards  should 
come  within  point-blank  range.  One  man,  Nick  Joland, 
in  sheer  nervousness,  fired  wildly  before  the  proper  time ; 
but  the  rest,  being  old  mariners  who  had  borne  a  part 
in  many  a  scrimmage  before,  had  sufficient  self-command 
to  obey  his  orders. 

On  came  the  Spaniards,  and  some  of  the  waiting 
Englishmen  knew  them  to  be  trained  soldiers,  infantry- 
men reputed  the  finest  in  the  world.  But  none  of  the 
seamen  quailed.  They  knew  what  was  at  stake.  When 

319 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

the  enemy  were  within  forty  paces  Dennis  gave  the  word. 
Twenty  calivers  sped  forth  their  deadly  missiles,  and 
every  shot  took  effect.  Even  the  splendid  courage  and 
discipline  of  the  Spanish  soldiery  was  unequal  to  the 
strain  put  upon  it.  Twenty  of  them  lay  writhing  or  mo- 
tionless upon  the  ground;  the  mass  behind  recoiled, 
and  fled  to  cover,  some  to  the  few  trees  and  shrubs  that 
dotted  the  open  space,  others  to  the  thick  wood  beyond. 

Among  those  who  had  been  struck  down  was  the 
gallant  captain.  He  had  just  risen  on  one  knee  when 
one  of  his  men  sprang  from  the  sheltered  ranks  to  his 
assistance.  Reckless  of  consequences,  the  brave  fellow 
rushed  to  the  middle  of  the  clearing,  fully  exposed  to 
the  marksmen,  and,  lifting  the  wounded  officer,  carried 
him  bodily  among  the  trees.  His  courage  drew  a  great 
cheer  from  the  Englishmen,  not  one  of  whom  raised 
his  weapon  to  shoot. 

"My  heart,  'tis  a  brave  lad,"  roared  Turnpenny;  "and 
withal  a  mighty!" 

The  advance  had  been  checked;  the  enemy  had  dis- 
appeared ;  but  the  voice  of  another  officer  was  heard  ha- 
ranguing the  men.  Soon  bullets  began  to  spatter  among 
the  trees  behind  which  the  Englishmen  lurked,  and  there 
were  signs  that  the  Spaniards  were  spreading  out  with 
the  object  of  taking  them  in  flank.  It  was  time  to  re- 
treat if  they  were  not  to  be  cut  off.  The  enemy's  move- 
ment would  take  some  time — after  their  check  they  would 
hesitate  to  make  another  direct  attack  across  the  clear- 


A  FIGHT  ON  THE  CLIFFS 

ing;  and  Dennis  hoped  to  be  able  to  clamber  down  the 
cliff  and  regain  the  ledge  before  they  discovered  that 
their  opponents  had  disappeared.  The  word  was  passed 
quietly  along  the  line;  the  men  snatched  up  their  weap- 
ons ;  and  running  fleetly  to  the  edge,  leaped,  rolled,  swung 
themselves  down  with  all  possible  haste. 

They  had  crossed  the  stream  and  were  half-way  up 
the  opposite  side  when  the  movement  was  seen  by  one 
of  a  flanking  party  of  the  Spaniards.  A  loud  cry  pro- 
claimed his  discovery  of  their  flight ;  he  fired  his  caliver, 
and  Hugh  Curder  gave  a  yell;  the  bullet  had  struck 
his  foot.  But  by  the  time  other  Spaniards  had  come 
to  the  brink  of  the  cliff,  and,  kneeling  down,  fired  across 
the  gully,  the  whole  party  had  reached  the  ledge  and 
dropped  down  panting  behind  the  wall,  where  for  the 
moment  they  were  safe. 


321 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

BOMBARDED 

Bullets  pattered  upon  the  wall  and  the  cliff  behind, 
but  Dennis  and  his  men,  lying  low,  escaped  unhurt,  and 
made  no  reply  to  the  Spaniards'  fire.  This  presently 
ceased,  and  Dennis,  peering  with  caution  through  one 
of  the  embrasures  in  the  wall,  saw  the  summit  of  the 
opposite  cliff  lined  with  the  enemy,  who  were  clearly 
examining  the  position  with  careful  interest,  and  discuss- 
ing it  with  animation.  At  length,  firing  one  or  two  shots 
as  by  way  of  farewell,  they  withdrew  from  the  edge 
and  disappeared  among  the  trees. 

"God  be  praised  for  all  His  mercies!"  said  Amos, 
rising  to  his  feet.  "I  know  not  what  is  to  be  the  end 
of  this." 

"Nor  I,"  said  Dennis.  "  Tis  not  to  be  believed  they 
have  left  us  altogether,  but  rather  that  they  have  retired 
to  consider  of  the  next  move.  They  can  do  us  no 
hurt  from  the  cliff  yonder  except  they  bring  great  guns 
from  their  ships  to  bombard  us.  Nor  can  they  assault 
us  from  below,  for  the  ascent  is  steep,  and  however 
bold  they  may  be,  they  will  not  come  up  merely  to  be 
shot  at.  We  must  e'en  wait  and  be  ready." 

322 


BOMBARDED 

"Ay,  and  think  on  Jan  Biddle  and  what  his  villainous 
knavery  has  brought  us  to.  But  for  him  we  should 
by  this  be  snug  in  Plimworth,  a-kissing  of  our  wives 
and  little  ones — them  as  has  'em.  What  a  power  of 
mischief  one  base  villain  can  do!" 

The  day  passed  in  quietude,  the  men  cleaning  their 
weapons  and  still  further  strengthening  the  wall.  The 
tide  rose  in  the  gully,  gently  dandling  the  pinnace  as 
she  lay  at  anchor  in  the  pool.  Many  a  longing  glance 
was  cast  at  the  little  craft,  many  a  sigh  broke  from  the 
breasts  of  the  mariners  as  they  saw  in  imagination  the 
dear  cliffs  of  England;  they  realized  now  that  even  the 
most  confident  among  them  had  scarcely  hoped  ever  to 
see  them  again. 

Darkness  fell.  Nothing  was  heard  save  the  rumble 
of  the  surf  beyond  the  entrance  of  the  gully,  and  the 
lapping  of  the  waves  against  the  base  of  the  cliffs.  Look- 
ing seaward,  in  the  starlight,  Dennis  saw  the  mouth  of 
the  little  harbor  like  a  deep  blue  cleft  in  the  blackness. 
He  had  just  divided  the  company  into  watches,  to  keep 
guard  over  the  ledge  while  the  others  slept,  when  Juan, 
the  maroon,  caught  his  arm  and  pointed  to  a  small,  dark 
patch  at  the  bottom  of  the  cleft.  It  seemed  to  be  moving 
toward  them.  At  the  same  time  there  was  a  series  of 
flashes  from  the  cliff  opposite ;  bullets  flew  among  them, 
one  hitting  Ned  Whiddon  in  the  arm.  Instantly  all  the 
men  sank  below  the  level  of  the  wall,  and  Dennis,  crouch- 
ing close  against  it,  looked  through  one  of  the  em- 

323 


UN  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

brasures  at  that  dark  object  slowly  approaching  up  the 
gully,  looming  larger  every  moment. 

The  meaning  of  it  had  already  flashed  upon  him.  A 
boat,  perhaps  the  same  as  had  appeared  earlier  in  the 
day,  was  coming  in  to  cut  out  the  pinnace.  The  outbreak 
of  firing  from  the  cliff  was  intended  to  mask  the  move- 
ment and  deter  the  defenders  from  interfering. 

"You  see  their  cunning,"  said  Dennis  to  Turnpenny, 
who  had  crept  to  his  side.  "By  day  they  would  not 
dare  come  within  the  range  of  our  calivers;  they  know 
that  by  night  we  can  but  fire  at  random,  and  endamage 
them  little." 

"My  heart,  but  we  must  save  the  pinnace!"  said 
Turnpenny.  "She  is  all  our  hope  and  salvation." 

"Not  all,  Amos,"  replied  Dennis.  "You  forget  the 
canoe  which  the  maroons  built  for  us;  they  will  build 
another.  But  I  am  not  content  to  lose  the  Minion;  how 
could  we  face  Master  Drake  and  confess  we  had  lost 
her?  I  would  fain  save  her,  but  how?" 

"Ah,  if  we  had  but  torches  to  light  the  scene,"  said 
Tom  Copstone;  " — like  to  those  we  had  at  Fort  Aguila 
yonder." 

"Thanks  for  that  word !"  cried  Dennis.  "Quick,  Amos, 
into  the  shed!  I  bethink  me  there  are  barrels  of  oil 
that  we  did  not  place  aboard  the  Mirandola.  Broach 
one,  man;  tear  some  of  your  garments  into  rags  and 
plentifully  soak  them  in  the  oil.  These  we  will  light  and 
fling  down  into  the  pool." 

324 


BOMBARDED 

Slipping  back  from  the  wall,  Turnpenny  and  Cop- 
stone  crept  back  in  less  than  two  minutes  with  armfuls 
of  drenched  rags.  These  they  kindled  and  threw  hastily 
over  into  the  pool  below.  The  enemy  opposite  poured 
in  a  hotter  fire,  but  the  little  company  kept  close  and 
none  was  hit.  The  device  was  not  a  moment  too  soon. 
By  the  light  of  the  blazing  rags  it  could  be  seen  that 
the  Spaniards  had  swarmed  on  board  the  pinnace, 
hauled  up  her  anchor,  and  fastened  her  head-rope  to 
their  boat.  She  was  indeed  already  moving  slowly 
toward  the  sea. 

"Fire,  my  lads!"  cried  Dennis.  "Let  them  not  all 
escape." 

Half  a  dozen  of  the  men  leaped  forward,  and,  heed- 
less of  the  enemy's  bullets,  discharged  their  calivers  at 
the  men  on  the  deck  of  the  pinnace.  Cries  proclaimed 
that  some,  at  any  rate,  had  hit  the  mark;  but  in  an 
instant  afterward  the  Minion's  deck  was  clear,  the  Span- 
iards having  sprung  overboard  or  gone  below.  Still  the 
vessel  slowly  receded,  moving  little  by  little  out  to  sea. 
Being  between  the  towing  boat  and  the  ledge,  the  rowers 
were  protected  from  the  Englishmen's  bullets,  and  they 
uttered  a  derisive  yell  as  foot  by  foot  they  drew  the 
vessel  nearer  the  sea. 

"The  falconet,  Amos !"  cried  Dennis.  "  'Tis  time  to 
use  our  ordnance." 

"But  we  be  too  high,  sir.  I  can  not  lower  the  muzzle 
so  as  to  bear  on  the  pinnace." 

323 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"You  will  be  able  to  do  that  as  she  draws  nearer  the 
shoulder  of  the  cliff.  Lay  the  gun  in  readiness." 

"Zuggers,  sir,  but  if  I  hit  the  poor  little  craft  'twill 
smash  her." 

"I  care  not.  If  we  can  not  keep  her  whole,  neither 
shall  the  Spaniards  have  her  whole.  Lay  the  gun,  man !" 

"My  heart,  and  so  I  will,  and  the  knaves  shall  have 
a  plumper,  od-rat-en!" 

The  entrance  to  the  gully  was  dimly  lit  by  the  burn- 
ing rags  floating  in  the  wake  of  the  pinnace.  Amos 
had  shoved  the  gun  through  the  embrasure,  and,  with 
his  eye  along  its  upper  surface,  watched  the  little  vessel 
as  she  floated  on  toward  the  open  sea.  The  firing  op- 
posite had  now  ceased;  it  was  as  though  the  Spaniards, 
sure  of  success,  disdained  to  waste  more  powder  and 
shot.  Apparently  the  enemy,  assured  of  success,  were 
watching  the  departing  pinnace  with  so  much  interest 
that  they  had  not  observed  the  muzzle  of  the  falconet 
projecting  from  the  wall. 

The  vessel  was  now  at  the  very  entrance  of  the  gully. 
In  another  half-minute  she  would  round  the  shoulder 
of  the  cliff  and  disappear.  But  before  that  half-minute 
was  past  there  was  a  flash  from  the  ledge ;  a  round  shot 
flew  seaward;  and  next  moment  there  were  shrieks 
from  the  Spaniards  who,  now  that  they  were  out  of 
range  of  the  defenders'  small  arms,  had  again  come  on 
deck.  The  shot  had  struck  the  vessel  square  astern. 
Her  rudder  was  shattered;  she  swung  round  on  the 

326 


BOMBARDED 

tide,  and  in  another  instant  ran  aground  on  a  shoal  and 
stuck  fast. 

A  mighty  cheer  rose  from  the  ledge  when  the  men 
saw  the  effect  of  Turnpenny's  shot. 

"  'Twas  famous,  Haymoss !"  cried  Copstone.  "Man, 
'twas  a  thumping  thwack!" 

And  Hugh  Curder  in  his  glee  lifted  up  his  voice: 

"Then  next  the  blacksmith  he  came  in, 
And  said,  '  'Twas  mighty  hot !' " 

"Smother  you!"  cried  Turnpenny.  "Think  of  the 
little  poor  craft  yonder;  'tis  like  striking  a  'ooman,  and 
goes  to  my  heart." 

"But  'ee'd  do  that  in  kindness,  Haymoss,"  said  Cop- 
stone.  "See,  the  knaves  can  not  pull  her  off;  she  be 
firm  on  the  rocks,  and  with  the  tide  falling  they'll  never 
move  her.  They'll  think  twice  before  they  try  that  same 
device  again." 

An  angry  volley  from  the  cliff  opposite  sent  them  all 
scurrying  again  to  cover  behind  the  wall.  It  proved 
as  Copstone  had  said.  After  vainly  endeavoring  for 
some  time  to  haul  the  pinnace  from  the  shoal,  the 
occupants  of  the  boat  cast  off  the  rope  and  disappeared. 
The  burning  rags  went  out  one  by  one;  black  darkness 
settled  over  the  gully ;  quietness  reigned  all  around ;  and 
leaving  three  men  to  keep  the  first  watch,  the  rest  drew 
their  garments  around  them  and  sought  sleep,  wonder- 
ing what  the  coming  day  might  have  in  store. 

327 


Dennis  passed  a  miserable  night.  He  could  not  share 
the  childlike  elation  which  Turnpenny's  successful  shot 
had  produced  in  the  minds  of  the  mariners.  He  felt 
that  this  enemy  was  not  to  be  baulked;  every  little  set- 
back would  only  strengthen  the  Spaniards'  resolve  to 
crush  their  opponents;  and  by  this  time  they  could  be 
in  no  doubt  how  small  was  the  company  resisting  them. 
His  head  ached  with  thinking  before  he  fell  asleep,  and 
when  he  awoke,  before  dawn,  it  was  with  throbbing 
temples  and  an  anxious  heart. 

And  when  he  got  up  and  looked  toward  the  sea,  he 
felt  his  spirit  die  within  him;  for  there,  just  past  the 
shoulder  of  the  cliff  and  some  distance  out  to  sea,  lay 
one  of  the  enemy's  vessels,  moored  at  a  point  which  he 
had  fondly  believed  to  be  unapproachable  by  any  craft 
of  her  size.  She  had  been  descried  by  the  men  of  the 
last  watch,  but  the  meaning  of  the  move  was  not  clear 
to  them  as  it  was  instantly  to  him.  The  ledge  was  just 
within  range  of  her  guns,  for  although  the  shoulder  of 
the  cleft  hid  the  pool  from  any  vessel  in  the  main  chan- 
nel, the  ledge  above  was  within  sight  from  the  spot  to 
which  the  enemy's  vessel  had  worked. 

"Jaykle!  the  skipper  must  be  rare  and  bold!"  cried 
Turnpenny. 

"And  a  mariner  of  right  good  skill,"  said  Dennis. 

But  their  admiration  was  turned  to  grave  alarm  when, 
with  a  roar,  the  whole  of  the  vessel's  broadside  was  sud- 
denly fired,  and  the  round  shot  came  hurtling  up  the 

328 


BOMBARDED 

gully.  To  reply  was  impossible.  The  small  guns  on 
the  ledge  were  too  light  to  carry  the  distance.  And  there 
was  nothing  to  be  hoped  for  from  bad  marksmanship 
on  the  enemy's  part.  The  first  discharge  had  no  effect 
except  to  displace  masses  of  rock  and  earth  from  the 
cliff  below  the  ledge. 

"They  can  not  raise  their  muzzles  high  enough  to  hit 
the  ledge,"  cried  Turnpenny  in  delight. 

But  this  fond  hope  was  shattered  at  the  next  broad- 
side. One  shot  struck  the  hut ;  another  tore  a  great  gap 
in  the  wall;  a  third  chipped  off  large  pieces  of  rock; 
several  men  were  wounded. 

"Our  wall  is  vain  now,"  said  Dennis.  "Another  shot 
will  tear  it  away,  and  we  shall  have  no  defense  against 
the  calivers  of  the  enemy  when  they  again  appear  on 
the  cliff.  Ah!  and  there  they  come.  We  must  run  for 
the  cave,  Amos;  'tis  our  last  refuge.  Lead  the  men 
thither;  let  them  carry  our  arms  and  ammunition,  and 
what  water  and  stores  they  can.  I  and  Copstone  and 
one  or  two  more  will  strive  to  make  reply  to  the  enemy 
while  aught  of  our  wall  remains." 

Bullets  were  already  falling  on  the  ledge.  Led  by 
Turnpenny,  most  of  the  men,  loaded  with  things,  scuttled 
along  the  face  of  the  cliff  into  the  thicket  that  half  con- 
cealed the  mouth  of  the  cave.  Dennis  with  three  com- 
panions fired  back  at  the  opposite  cliff;  but  in  a  few 
minutes  another  volley  of  round  shot  came  crashing  up 
the  gully,  and  scarcely  a  man  on  the  ledge  but  was 

329 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

wounded  by  splinters  of  rock,  though  luckily  none  was 
directly  hit  by  the  shot.  It  was  hopeless  to  cling  to  the 
position  longer. 

"Follow  me,  lads!"  cried  Dennis;  and,  rushing  down 
the  ledge  to  where  it  widened  and  was  overgrown  with 
bushes,  he  and  his  comrades  joined  the  others  safely 
in  the  cave. 


330 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  LEAGUER  OF  SKELETON  CAVE 

"God-a-mercy !"  cried  Turnpenny.  "We  be  like  rats 
in  a  trap !" 

"The  knaves  can  not  get  at  us,  for  this  present  at 
least,"  said  Copstone. 

"True,  not  without  being  well  whopped;  but  they  can 
block  up  the  entrance,  and  keep  us  mewed  up  until  we 
must  either  yield  or  starve,  or  perish  of  thirst." 

"Keep  a  good  heart,"  said  Dennis  cheerfully.  "We 
shall  not  yield  or  starve  yet.  Since  I  set  sail  from  Eng- 
land in  the  Maid  Marian  yonder  many  a  marvelous  thing 
has  befallen  me.  I  met  a  countryman  when  I  had  given 
up  hope !  Why  may  not  things  we  do  not  foresee  happen 
again?" 

"Ay,  true,"  said  one  of  Drake's  men;  "and  perchance 
Master  Francis  himself  may  come  to  our  aid." 

"That  is  but  a  poor  chance,"  said  Dennis.  "It  were 
better  we  trust  in  God  and  our  own  wit.  We  are  safe 
at  present;  let  us  see  what  shelter  our  cave  affords;  I 
confess  I  have  not  hitherto  explored  it." 

Lighting  a  torch,  he  walked  inward,  with  two  or  three 
of  the  men,  and  found  after  a  few  yards  that  the  floor 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

sloped  slightly  downward,  and  that  the  cave  widened 
out  on  both  sides,  so  that  if  the  enemy  discovered  it, 
and  fired  into  the  opening,  the  inmates  could  find  enough 
shelter  out  of  the  line  of  fire.  The  air  was  close,  but 
did  not  become  oppressive  as  soon  as  Dennis  expected, 
so  that  he  was  tempted  to  believe  that  there  was  a  hole 
somewhere  in  the  roof  which  served  to  ventilate  the  cave. 
But  though  he  looked  carefully  along  the  whole  of  the 
vault,  which  extended  for  some  thirty  yards  into  the 
cliff,  he  found  no  such  opening,  and  concluded  that  the 
comparative  freshness  of  the  air  was  due  merely  to 
the  spaciousness  of  the  cave  and  the  width  of  its  mouth. 
The  day  wore  away  in  quiet.  Careful  watch  was  kept 
at  the  opening,  and  occasionally  Spaniards  were  seen 
moving  up  and  down  the  gully  and  on  the  opposite  cliff ; 
but  no  assault  was  made,  and  it  seemed  as  though  the 
enemy  were  content  to  wait  until  hunger  and  thirst  had 
done  their  work.  An  inspection  of  the  stores  showed 
that  there  was  only  two  days'  food;  all  the  water  they 
had  was  contained  in  three  buckets;  and  this,  in  that 
climate,  and  the  state  of  excitement  to  which  the  men 
were  wound  up,  was  but  a  pitiful  supply  if  the 
investment  was  to  be  protracted.  Especially  was  it 
unfortunate,  seeing  that  several  men  were  wounded,  some 
seriously.  Their  injuries  were  dressed  as  carefully  as 
possible  with  the  limited  appliances  at  hand,  but  in  the 
course  of  the  day  one  poor  fellow  died,  and  was  solemnly 
buried  in  a  grave  dug  with  their  weapons  in  the  floor. 

332 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

Among  the  occupants  of  the  cave  was  Mirandola.  The 
monkey  had  taken  refuge  in  a  tree  while  the  fighting 
was  in  progress,  and  Dennis  thought  that  the  poor  animal 
would  certainly  flee  to  the  woody  interior  of  the  island, 
far  away  from  the  din  and  turmoil.  But  at  nightfall  the 
monkey  stole  into  the  cave,  and  attached  himself  to  Den- 
nis, whom  he  followed  about  like  a  shadow. 

The  hours  of  darkness  dragged  slowly  along.  Almost 
as  soon  as  it  was  light,  a  round  shot  came  crashing  into 
the  opening,  scattering  stones  and  earth  in  all  directions. 
The  Spaniards'  inaction  during  the  previous  day  was 
explained ;  they  had  evidently  brought  from  the  vessel  in 
the  offing  a  gun,  perhaps  more  than  one,  and  mounted 
it  on  the  opposite  cliff.  The  effect  of  the  shot,  which 
luckily  harmed  no  one,  was  to  send  the  men  in  all  haste 
to  the  sides  of  the  cave.  But  the  crash  and  the  smoke 
made  Mirandola  shriek  with  fright.  He  ran  back  into 
the  cave,  and  when  Dennis  followed  to  soothe  his  terror, 
he  discovered  that  the  poor  beast  had  taken  refuge  on 
the  top  of  an  irregular  pillar  of  rock  that  stood  out  from 
the  wall  about  three-quarters  of  the  way  down  the  cave. 
He  tried  to  coax  the  monkey  to  descend,  but  without 
avail.  The  top  of  the  pillar  was  beyond  his  reach,  so  he 
called  Turnpenny,  and,  climbing  on  to  his  shoulders, 
reached  up  to  seize  the  monkey.  But  Mirandola  retreated 
and  disappeared. 

"The  beast  is  deaved,  to  be  sure,"  said  Turnpenny,  "and 
lacks  his  little  wit.  Let  him  bide,  sir." 

333 


ON  THE  SPANISH  MAIN 

"Nay,  he  has  been  our  partner  so  long  that  I  am  not 
willing  to  lose  him,  and  he  will  surely  be  stifled  if  we 
do  not  bring  him  nearer  the  opening.  Hoist  me,  Amos." 

He  swarmed  to  the  top  of  the  rock,  the  sailor  handing 
up  the  torch  after  him.  It  took  a  few  moments  to  become 
accustomed  to  the  blackness,  and  in  the  red  flickering 
light  he  failed  to  see  any  sign  of  the  monkey.  But  he 
perceived  with  surprise  that  the  pillar  did  not  abut  im- 
mediately on  the  wall,  as  he  had  supposed.  Behind  it 
he  saw  what  appeared  to  be  a  deep,  black  hole,  which 
seemed  deeper  when  he  inserted  his  torch.  Into  this 
Mirandola,  his  nerves  completely  unstrung  by  the  shat- 
tering explosion,  must  have  run  for  refuge. 

Dennis  crawled  in,  and,  holding  the  torch  over  his  head, 
was  still  more  amazed  to  find  that  he  had  come  to  the 
entrance  of  a  second  cave,  apparently  larger  than  the  first. 
The  floor  of  it  was  many  feet  below  him;  he  hesitated 
to  risk  a  dislocation  of  his  ankle  if  he  sprang  down;  so 
he  retreated,  and  called  down  to  Turnpenny,  informing 
him  of  his  discovery. 

"Sling  up  a  rope,"  he  said ;  "you  and  Copstone  keep  a 
firm  hold  upon  it  on  your  side,  while  I  let  myself  down 
on  the  other  side  and  see  what  is  beyond." 

Lowering  himself  through  the  aperture,  he  found  the 
monkey  sitting  on  the  floor. 

"Come,  Mirandola,"  he  said,  "you  taught  me  the  merits 
of  some  of  the  fruits  of  this  island;  hast  more  to  teach 
me,  old  friend?  Let  us  go  on  together." 

334 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

He  found  that  the  floor  of  this  cave  also  inclined 
downward,  and  he  went  very  cautiously,  lest  he  should 
come  unawares  upon  a  chasm  and  fall  headlong  to  his 
doom.  The  atmosphere  was  damp  and  close,  but  not  foul, 
and  as  he  proceeded  he  saw  by  the  flickering  of  the  torch 
that  there  was  a  slight  current  of  air.  No  wall  blocked 
his  way,  but  by  and  by  the  cave  narrowed,  the  roof  came 
lower  and  he  had  to  stoop,  and  at  last  to  crawl,  to  avoid 
knocking  his  head.  He  had  still  not  reached  the  end  of 
what  was  now  a  tunnel,  when  the  torch  went  out.  For  a 
moment  he  hesitated  whether  to  go  on  in  the  darkness; 
then,  deciding  that  it  was  not  worth  while  to  run  any 
risks  when  he  could  procure  another  light  within  a  few 
minutes,  he  hurried  back,  got  another  and  a  larger  torch, 
and  asked  Turnpenny  to  accompany  him. 

The  two  together  came  to  the  spot  where  the  first  torch 
had  been  left,  and  went  on.  The  rough,  irregular  fissure 
grew  no  narrower,  but  its  slope  became  steeper  at  every 
yard. 

"God-a-mercy,  it  likes  me  not !"  murmured  Turnpenny, 
who  was  filled  with  superstitious  fears  in  face  of  the 
unknown.  "Meseems  we  be  going  down  into  the  very 
bowels  of  the  earth,  or  mayhap  lower.  Dost  fear  no 
goblins?  Dost  not  think  we  may  come  upon  the  Old 
Smoker?" 

"Never  a  whit,  Amos.  Why,  man,  the  floor  here  is  wet. 
Touch  it  with  your  hand.  And  as  I  live,  here  are  sea- 
weeds and  shells!  And  look;  surely  that  is  a  glint  of 

335 


ON    THE    SPANISH    MAIN 

'light  yonder  that  comes  not  from  our  torch.  Here  is  a 
very  pool;  duck  your  head,  man;  I  gave  mine  a  rare 
crack  just  then,  the  roof  comes  so  low.  Crawl  after  me. 
I  smell  the  sea,  Amos;  and  ah!  look!  here  we  are  on 
the  shore.  Have  a  care ;  we  must  not  be  spied." 

Crawling  actually  through  the  water,  they  found  them- 
selves on  the  shore  at  a  point  not  far  north  of  the  spot 
where  Dennis  had  first  opened  his  eyes  on  the  island. 
The  hole  was  almost  hidden  by  the  overhanging  plants. 
Mirandola  had  halted;  to  go  through  water  was  not  to 
his  taste.  Cautiously  raising  themselves,  Dennis  and 
Turnpenny  parted  the  screening  leaves  and  looked  out  to 
sea.  There,  a  little  distance  out,  was  the  vessel  that  had 
fired  on  them.  The  tide  was  low ;  she  had  had  to  shift 
her  position  farther  into  the  main  channel.  In  the  little 
bay  which  here  indented  the  shore  a  boat  lay  on  the  sand ; 
two  Spaniards  leaned  against  its  side,  keeping  guard, 
over  it,  no  doubt,  while  their  comrades  were  engaged  in 
investing  the  cave. 

"One  thing  is  plain,"  whispered  Dennis ;  "here,  at  least, 
is  a  way  of  retreat  should  we  no  longer  be  able  to  remain 
in  our  cave.  And  when  water  fails,  we  can  creep  out  by 
the  hole  in  the  night-time  and  fill  our  buckets  at  one  of 
the  rills  that  trickle  from  the  cliff." 

"Ah!  that  is  something,  sir,"  said  Turnpenny,  "but  I 
would  fain  knock  those  knaves  yonder  on  the  head  and 
take  their  boat.  We  might  then  make  a  shift  to  row 
away  from  this  isle." 

336 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

.  "A  good  wish,  Amos,  but  hard  to  come  by.  We  could 
not  do  it  in  daylight,  and  methinks  the  Spaniards  would 
not  do  us  the  grace  to  leave  their  boat  here  on  the  shore 
for  us  to  make  free  with  at  night.  But  assuredly  we 
can  keep  a  better  watch  on  them  here  than  from  the  cave 
above,  where  we  can  not  show  a  head  but  with  great 
peril ;  let  us  therefore  return  and  send  one  of  the  maroons 
hither  as  a  sentinel." 

There  was  great  excitement  among  the  men  when  they 
were  told  of  this  discovery.  Though  it  seemed  impossible 
that  the  passage  to  the  sea  could  avail  them  much,  the 
knowledge  that  it  was  open  to  them  gave  just  that  dash 
of  comfort  which  is  all  the  world  to  men  in  extremity. 
And  when,  as  the  day  wore  on,  the  enemy's  guns  began 
to  play  regularly  on  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  and  brought 
down  in  front  of  it  great  masses  of  the  cliff  above,  they 
did  not  get  into  a  state  of  panic,  but  almost  gaily  made 
air-holes  through  the  loosely  piled  earth  with  their  weap- 
ons, chuckling  at  the  thought  that  the  besiegers  were  no 
doubt  flattering  themselves  with  the  supposition  that  the 
hapless  garrison  was  being  gradually  entombed. 

But  it  seemed  to  Dennis  that  an  attempt  should  be 
made  to  turn  this  strange  discovery  to  account.  Clearly 
it  was  possible  to  leave  the  cave,  but  supposing  they  came 
out  upon  the  shore,  what  then?  They  might  take  to  the 
woods  in  the  center  of  the  island,  and  for  a  time,  perhaps, 
elude  the  enemy ;  but  it  would  only  be  a  matter  of  days 
'  before  they  would  be  hunted  down.  They  could  not,  a 

337 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

mere  handful,  risk  a  stand-up  fight  against  a  force  six 
or  seven  times  their  number.  And  it  was  in  the  highest 
degree  unlikely  that  the  enemy  would  leave  any  of  their 
boats  on  shore  during  the  night.  Still  there  was  just  a 
chance  that  a  boat  might  be  so  left,  and  Dennis  arranged 
that  Juan,  the  maroon,  should  go  before  dark  to  the  exit 
on  the  shore,  to  see  what  he  could  discover  of  the  Span- 
iards' arrangements,  and  then  to  steal  up  the  cliff  and 
learn  how  they  encamped  during  the  night. 

The  night  was  still  young  when  the  maroon  returned. 
He  had  seen  the  boat  put  off,  conveying  officers  to  the 
vessel.  Then,  waiting  until  it  was  dark,  he  had  climbed 
the  cliff,  and  found  that  the  enemy  had  formed  a  camp 
on  the  summit  immediately  above  the  ledge,  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  brink.  No  pickets  were  posted;  the 
Spaniards  had  evidently  recognized  the  hopelessness  of 
any  attempt  to  escape  either  up  or  down  the  gully. 

Juan  had  then  crept  round  to  the  northern  cliff,  and 
discovered  that  the  two  guns  which  had  played  on  the 
cave  during  the  day  were  left  in  charge  of  two  men. 
Dennis  was  somewhat  surprised  that  the  main  camp  of 
the  enemy  had  not  been  made  there  instead  of  on  the 
southern  cliff,  until  he  remembered  that  only  on  the  latter 
were  there  springs  of  fresh  water. 

"  'Tis  as  I  feared,  you  see,"  said  Dennis  to  Turnpenny. 
"The  boat  returns  to  the  ship  at  night — just  as  the  boat 
was  wont  to  return  to  your  lumber-ship.  It  was  but  a 
poor  hope,  and  that  is  dashed." 

338 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

"And  so  'tis.  The  only  thing  that  we  poor  souls  could 
do  would  be  to  crawl  out  by  the  hole,  and  fetch  a  long 
compass  to  the  cliff  yonder  where  the  guns  be,  and  blow 
them  up  for  the  knaves.  If  there  be  but  two  men  guard- 
ing them,  'tud  be  no  hard  feat." 

Dennis  did  not  reply.  He  seemed  to  have  fallen  into 
a  brown  study. 

"Ise  warrant  I  could  do  it,  with  Tom  Copstone  and 
Juan,  and  maybe  another  of  the  maroons.  'Tud  not  save 
us,  to  be  sure,  but  'tud  at  least  give  the  knaves  a  turn, 
od-rabbit-en !" 

"Amos,"  said  Dennis  with  apparent  inconsequence,  "if 
you  were  a  Spanish  officer — " 

"God  forbid,  sir!"  interrupted  the  seaman  fervently. 

"It  is  impossible,  I  own.  Still,  if  you  were  a  Spanish 
officer  aboard  that  vessel  yonder,  and  in  the  blackest  hour 
of  night  you  heard  a  great  uproar  on  this  island,  and  saw 
the  flashing  of  guns,  what  would  you  do  ?" 

"I'  fecks,  I  would  think  there  was  a  rare  randy  afoot, 
and  straightway  lower  a  boat  and  come  with  all  speed 
ashore  to  lend  a  hand." 

"And  you,  Copstone — what  would  you  do?" 

"Come  with  Haymoss,  to  be  sure,  sir.  'You  and  me, 
Haymoss — '  " 

"The  words  of  my  dream  again,  sir!"  cried  Amos  in 
excitement.  "There  be  summat  in  your  mind,  sir;  tell 
it  out,  and,  souls  all,  lend  an  ear." 

And  then  Dennis  unfolded  a  scheme  which  Juan's  re- 

339 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

port  and  Turnpenny's  suggestion  had  set  working  in  his 
mind.  For  some  minutes  the  little  group  around  him 
hung  breathlessly  upon  his  quiet  words ;  then  Turnpenny 
exclaimed : 

"We'll  do  it,  we  will  so,  and  be  jowned  if  the  knaves 
will  not  wish  themselves  anywhere  but  on  Maiden  Isle! 
Come,  my  hearts,  the  sky  is  black  and  lowering :  'tis  the 
very  time  o'  night  for  our  intent,  and  with  God's  help 
we  will  prosper." 

And  then  the  rough  seaman  fell  on  his  knees,  and  with 
clasped  hands  recited  the  prayer  for  help  in  time  of  need, 
and  every  man  of  the  little  company  responded  with  a 
low,  fervent  "Amen!" 

Half  an  hour  later,  Turnpenny,  with  Copstone,  Juan, 
and  a  second  maroon,  bade  farewell  to  his  comrades  and 
clambered  down  into  the  second  cave.  When  they  were 
on  the  farther  side  of  the  dividing  rock,  their  weapons, 
with  four  belts  packed  full  of  grape  shot  from  the  stores 
of  the  Maid  Marian,  were  handed  down  to  them,  and  after 
a  final  "God  speed!"  from  Dennis  they  started  on  the 
way  to  the  sea. 

An  hour  passed — an  hour  during  which  the  rest  of  the 
company  sat  in  hushed  expectancy,  scarcely  speaking  a 
word.  One  of  the  maroons  had  pushed  his  way  through 
the  heap  of  loose  earth  piled  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
and  crawled  stealthily  to  the  ledge,  where  he  crouched 
amid  the  ruins  of  the  sheds.  Presently,  from  the  opposite 
cliff,  came  a  slight  booming  sound  like  the  cry  of  a 

340 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

night  beetle.  The  maroon,  invisible  in  the  black  shade 
of  the  cliff,  crept  back  to  the  cave.  Immediately  after- 
ward the  whole  company,  man  by  man,  crossed  into  the 
farther  cave,  the  two  men  most  seriously  wounded  being 
lifted  up  one  side  of  the  pillar,  and  lowered  gently  down 
the  other.  Dennis  leading,  with  Mirandola  close  behind, 
they  made  their  way  by  torchlight  down  the  sloping 
floor,  crawled  out  by  the  narrow  aperture,  and  after  Den- 
nis had  taken  a  careful  look  round,  stood  up,  a  silent  band 
of  twenty-one,  on  the  seashore.  The  two  men  whose 
wounds  forbade  exertion  were  left  in  a  sheltered  spot 
below  the  bank ;  then  the  rest  followed  Dennis  up  through 
the  vegetation,  in  single  file.  It  was  so  dark  that  no 
man  could  see  the  man  before  him,  but  each  one  grasped 
the  caliver  of  the  man  ahead,  thus  guiding  themselves 
through  the  jungle. 

Up  they  went,  quietly,  almost  as  surely  as  if  it  were 
broad  daylight,  for  Dennis  knew  every  foot  of  the  way, 
which  he  had  trodden  many  times  since  that  day,  long 
before,  when  he  had  begun  his  exploration  of  the  island. 
Winding  in  and  out,  he  came  at  length  by  a  long  cir- 
cuit to  the  high  ground  approaching  the  southern  bank 
of  the  gully.  And  there  he  halted.  Through  the  trees 
before  him  he  saw  the  watch-fires,  dying  low,  of  the 
enemy  encamped  on  the  clearing  beyond.  All  was  silent. 
If  any  sentinels  were  awake,  they  were  not  conversing. 
The  camp  was  as  quiet  as  though  it  were  an  abode  of  the 
dead. 

341 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

Suddenly  the  deep  silence  was  broken  by  the  boom  of 
a  beetle.  It  died  away.  So  natural  a  sound  was  it  that 
the  Spanish  sentinels,  if  any  were  on  guard,  would  never 
have  suspected  that  it  came  from  the  throat  of  a  maroon. 
Even  Dennis'  company  might  have  been  deceived  had 
they  not  known  that  the  sound  had  been  made  by  one  of 
themselves — the  maroon  at  their  leader's  side. 

Scarcely  had  it  died  away  when  two  sharp  cracks  rent 
the  air  from  some  point  beyond  the  camp.  Then  came  an 
instantaneous  change  over  the  scene.  A  loud  cry  rang 
out  in  the  camp,  followed  by  a  din  of  many  voices  and  the 
clash  of  arms.  Some  one  cast  fuel  on  one  of  the  fires, 
and  the  flame,  leaping  up,  shone  on  a  camp  in  commotion, 
men  hurrying  this  way  and  that,  calling  to  their  fellows 
excitedly.  What  was  this  that  had  disturbed  their  slum- 
bers? Was  some  one  signaling  to  them  from  the  vessel 
out  at  sea?  Could  it  be  that  El  Draque  had  sailed  up 
out  of  the  night? 

Into  the  midst  of  this  noise  and  confusion  broke  a 
shattering  sound,  the  roar  of  a  piece  of  ordnance.  Then 
the  din  was  redoubled,  and  with  the  astonished  cries  of 
some  were  mingled  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  wounded 
men.  Still  Dennis  and  his  little  band  stood  motionless 
amid  the  trees,  but  every  man  now  held  a  lighted  match. 
Another  deep,  reverberating  roar  thundered  forth,  with 
more  cries  and  yells  in  the  camp. 

"Now !"  cried  Dennis. 

Then  a  mighty  shout  broke  from  the  throats  of  the 

342 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

little  company,  and  with  the  roar  of  lusty  British  seamen 
mingled  the  weird  "Yo  peho!  Yo  peho!"  of  the  maroons. 
A  volley  flashed  from  the  muzzles  of  nineteen  calivers, 
and  nineteen  men  were  dashed  forward  toward  the  camp, 
shouting  like  a  hundred.  On  they  rushed  through  the 
trees,  into  the  clearing.  "Yo  peho!  Yo  peho!"  And  with 
yells  of  panic  fear  the  Spaniards,  like  a  flock  of  sheep, 
ran  and  ran  and  ran,  helter-skelter,  flinging  their  arms 
away,  tumbling  over  one  another,  falling,  rising  again, 
pelting  headlong  through  the  woodland  toward  the  marsh. 

Again  the  guns  on  the  opposite  cliff  thundered,  but  the 
shots  did  not  now  come  plunging  into  the  camp.  How 
were  the  Spaniards,  scared  out  of  their  wits,  to  know 
that  Turnpenny  and  Copstone  were  now  firing  into  the 
gully,  lest  they  should  hit  their  comrades  ?  But  in  a  few 
moments  there  was  no  risk  of  this,  for  Dennis  wheeled 
about  and  led  his  men  at  a  mad  scamper  down  by  the  way 
they  had  come,  never  stopping  until,  bathed  in  sweat, 
panting  for  breath,  they  stood  on  the  seashore  at  the 
place  from  which  they  had  started. 

And  now  Dennis  looked  again  toward  the  sea,  and 
strained  his  ears  to  catch  a  sound  he  expected.  Would 
his  expectation  be  fulfilled?  Would  fortune  favor  him? 
Would  the  Spanish  officers  aboard  the  ship  do  as  Cop- 
stone  and  Turnpenny  in  their  place  would  have  done 
and  lower  boats  in  all  haste  to  come  to  the  aid  of  their 
comrades  in  peril  ?  None  knew  the  anxiety  that  troubled 
Dennis  in  those  minutes  of  waiting.  If  the  Spaniards 

343 


were  poltroons,  if  they  were  scared  by  the  sudden  out- 
break and  feared  to  venture  shoreward  in  the  dark,  his 
bold  scheme  would  fail,  and  then  what  the  end  would 
be  he  hardly  dared  to  think.  It  was  with  real  agony  of 
soul  he  listened  for  the  sweep  of  oars. 

Hark!  On  the  silence  of  the  sea  comes  a  thud,  a 
measured  beat,  growing  in  loudness,  drawing  near.  As 
yet  he  can  see  nothing,  but  his  comrades  hear  the  sound, 
and  their  hearts  leap  at  it,  and  they  can  scarcely  check 
a  shout  of  joy.  On  comes  the  boat;  they  hear  the  splash 
of  oars,  and  voices,  and  by  and  by  the  grating  of  a  keel. 
They  wait  in  panting  silence.  Men  are  wading  through 
the  water;  arms  clash;  a  loud  voice  gives  an  order;  and 
now  a  score  of  dark  forms  can  be  seen  running  up  the 
beach,  making  for  the  very  path  lately  traversed  by  the 
nineteen.  The  men,  lurking  beneath  the  bank,  hold  their 
breath ;  Dennis  feels  as  though  his  very  heart-beats  must 
be  heard;  the  Spanish  pass,  and  disappear,  and  are  now 
hasting  up  toward  the  camp.  The  sound  of  their  foot- 
steps dies  away;  Dennis  can  scarcely  bear  to  wait,  so 
eager  is  he  to  pursue  his  scheme  to  the  end.  At  last 
he  gives  the  word,  and  eighteen  men  rush  after  him, 
noiselessly  on  the  sand,  toward  the  boat,  a  hundred  yards 
away. 

The  two  Spaniards  left  on  guard  catch  sight  of  the 
running  men  when  they  are  half-way  across  the  beach. 
Why  should  they  suspect  that  these  are  not  their  comrades 
who  lately  parted  from  them?  What  has  happened? 

344 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

They  are  nervous,  unstrung.  "What  is  it?"  they  cry, 
but  the  words  are  choked  in  their  throats,  for  two  men 
have  sprung  into  the  boat,  and  next  moment  they  lie 
stunned  on  the  bottom.  Four  men  return  and  bring  their 
wounded  comrades  with  what  haste  they  may.  Then 
lusty  arms  shove  the  boat  from  the  shoal;  nineteen  men 
leap  in  after  the  two;  the  oars  are  out,  the  men  bend  to 
their  work,  and  the  boat's  head  points  toward  the  vessel 
lying  at  anchor. 

But  it  pauses  as  it  comes  level  with  the  shoulder  of  the 
cliff.  The  four  bold  fellows  who  have  so  manfully  played 
their  part  beyond  the  gully  are  not  forgotten.  And  but 
a  few  moments  after  the  boat  has  come  to  rest  four 
figures  come  swimming  out  with  mighty  strokes,  and 
are  hauled,  dripping  wet  but  exultant,  aboard.  Once 
more  the  oars  strike  the  water,  and  the  boat  speeds  on 
its  way.  The  dark  hull  looms  up  in  front.  Dennis 
whispers  an  order;  all  the  oars  are  shipped  but  two; 
and  the  boat  goes  slowly  with  no  sign  of  haste.  A  voice 
hails  it  from  the  deck.  "All's  well !"  calls  Juan.  The  boat 
is  now  under  the  vessel's  quarter;  a  lamp  is  slung  over 
the  bulwark  to  guide  the  returning  crew;  a  rope  is 
thrown  out  to  steady  her ;  and  Turnpenny  begins  to  clam- 
ber up  by  the  battens.  Before  Dennis  reaches  the  deck 
he  hears  a  cry,  then  a  heavy  thud,  and  as  he  springs 
aboard  he  sees  Amos  with  a  prostrate  Spaniard  between 
his  legs.  Up  they  go,  all  twenty-four;  only  a  dozen 
of  the  vessel's  crew  are  left  on  board ;  and  the  long  pent- 

345 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

up  excitement  of  maroons  and  British  mariners  bursts 
forth  in  a  shout  of  triumph ;  the  ship  is  theirs. 

"Heave  up  the  anchor,  my  hearts!"  cried  Turnpenny. 
"Loose  the  mainsail,  Tom,  the  wind  serves." 

"Stay,  Amos,"  said  Dennis,  "we  must  not  forget  the 
pinnace.  We  can  not  return  to  Master  Drake  without 
her." 

"Nor  shall  not,"  replied  the  seaman;  "but  we'll  first 
give  the  knavish  vessels  yonder  a  taste  of  our  lead  an 
ye  will  but  give  us  leave." 

"A  right  good  notion,  Amos,  if  we  can  win  to  them 
at  this  low  tide." 

"That  we  can,  sir ;  trust  me." 

With  her  courses  set,  and  Turnpenny  at  the  helm,  the 
vessel  stood  out  half  a  mile  until  all  danger  of  striking 
a  shoal  was  past ;  then  she  was  headed  southward.  Mean- 
time Dennis  superintended  the  loading  of  all  her  ordnance, 
five  guns  on  each  side.  Soon  they  saw  the  dark  hulls 
of  the  two  Spanish  vessels  anchored  off  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  island. 

"There's  room  enough  betwixt  'em,  sir,  for  us  to  pass 
and  rake  'em  with  a  broadside.  Not  a  man  aboard  'em 
will  suppose  this  craft  is  manned  by  any  but  their  own 
comrades,  nor  will  they  know  better  till  they  hear  our 
popguns." 

As  they  approached,  a  voice  hailed  them  from  the 
vessel  on  the  port  side,  asking  the  meaning  of  the  uproar 
lately  heard. 

346 


SKELETON  CAVE  AGAIN 

"A  fight  ashore,  but  it  is  over  now,"  sang  out  Juan, 
the  maroon. 

The  vessel  came  between  the  other  two,  and  so  con- 
fident was  Turnpenny  in  the  unpreparedness  of  the  Span- 
iards that  he  hove  to,  not  a  dozen  yards  separating  the 
ships  on  either  side.  The  guns  were  manned;  the 
matches,  already  lighted,  were  screened  from  observa- 
tion; then,  at  the  word,  the  five  guns  on  the  starboard 
side  belched  forth  their  heavy  charges  of  round  shot.  Al- 
most before  the  roar  had  died  away  the  gunners  rushed 
to  the  larboard.  Again  there  was  a  mighty  thunder  and 
a  rush  as  the  shots  raked  the  hapless  vessel.  Through 
the  cloud  of  smoke  the  adventurous  bark  was  got  under 
way.  In  a  few  minutes  she  ran  clear;  Turnpenny  put 
the  helm  down,  and  she  beat  up  against  the  wind  until 
she  reached  her  former  anchorage  westward  of  the  gully. 

Then  Dennis,  with  Turnpenny  and  a  dozen  men,  got 
into  the  boat  which  had  followed  astern  at  the  end  of  a 
rope,  and  rowed  for  the  entrance  between  the  cliffs. 
There  was  no  guard  over  the  pinnace.  The  Spaniards 
who  had  been  surprised  in  their  camp  had  fled  to  the  other 
side  of  the  island.  Even  those  who  had  lately  landed, 
hearing  the  thunder  of  the  guns  to  the  south,  had  rushed 
inland,  believing  that  El  Draque,  the  terror  of  their  coasts, 
had  suddenly  come  upon  them.  Unmolested,  Dennis  and 
some  of  his  party  landed  on  the  rocks.  Turnpenny  made 
a  rapid  inspection  of  the  pinnace. 

"Her  sternwork  be  sore  battered  and  her  rudder  shiv- 

347 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

ered  to  splinters,"  he  said,  "but  she  will  take  no  water, 
I  b'lieve.  With  a  strong  pull  we  will  have  her  off,  sir." 

The  rope  by  which  the  Spaniards  had  attempted  to  tow 
her  was  still  fixed.  Under  the  haulage  of  the  twelve 
sturdy  mariners  she  was  slowly  shifted ;  she  floated ;  and 
in  twenty  minutes  she  lay  alongside  the  Spanish  vessel. 

Then,  the  men  giving  a  parting  cheer  that  echoed  and 
reechoed  from  the  shore,  the  ship  stood  away  under  full 
sail  with  the  pinnace  riding  merrily  astern.  And  when 
morning  broke,  the  long  coast-line  of  the  mainland  was 
already  in  sight. 


3*3 


CHAPTER   XXV 

THE  MULE-TRAINS 

"No  Bobby  Pike  this  time,"  whispered  Turnpenny  to 
Dennis,  as  they  lay  eating  their  supper  amid  the  scrub 
a  mile  or  more  south  of  Nombre  de  Dios.  "And  with  all 
my  soul  I  hope  the  Frenchmen  be  sober  men,  for  to  fail 
of  our  purpose  now  through  any  frowardness  would 
break  Master  Drake  his  noble  heart  and  send  me  into  a 
decline." 

"Hush !"  returned  Dennis  in  a  voice  equally  low.  "List 
to  the  church-bells,  Amos,  and  the  clatter  of  the  ham- 
mers. Does  it  not  mind  you  of  home — the  church  on 
the  cliff,  and  the  busy  carpenters  in  the  docks  below? 
My  soul  yearns  for  home,  Amos." 

"Ay,  and  so  do  I.  But  I  would  fain  return  home  with 
full  hands — money  enough  to  buy  a  little  fishing  craft, 
and  a  cottage  by  the  sea.  'Tis  five  year  and  more  since 
I  sailed  in  the  Jesus  out  of  Plimworth  Sound,  and  there 
was  Margery  Tutt  a-waving  her  little  handkercher  to  me, 
thinking,  poor  soul,  to  see  me  again  within  a  twelvemonth, 
and  I  warrant  the  pretty  maid  counted  the  days  and  went 
to  every  weddin'  in  church,  to  larn  the  fearsome  promises 
word  by  word,  so  that  she  would  not  fail  when  we  should 

349 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

come  to  stand  afore  pa'son.  'With  all  my  worldly  goods 
I  thee  endow;'  so  it  runs  for  the  man  to  say,  and  here 
I  be,  five  years  after,  with  not  so  much  worldly  goods  as 
I  had  then,  and  I  warrant  some  knavish  landlubber  has 
come  along  and  snatched  up  my  little  Margery,  and  I'll 
find  her  a  bowerly  'ooman  that  has  clean  forgot  poor 
Haymoss  Turnpenny.  Ah  me!  I  be  sick  of  adventures, 
be  j owned  if  I  bean't" 

"Be  of  good  cheer,  Amos.  If  Fortune  stand  our  friend, 
we  shall  have  more  gold  and  silver  than  we  can  bear  away 
before  this  night  be  ended;  and  then  Master  Drake  will 
sail  away  home,  and  who  knows  ? — Margery  may  be  look- 
ing for  you  yet.  'Twas  seven  years  that  Jacob  served 
for  Rachel." 

"Ay,  but  always  within  arm's  length.  I  warrant  he 
kept  an  eye  on  the  wench.  There  was  never  a  thousand 
leagues  of  sea  betwixt  him  and  the  maid.  Od-rat-en, 
if  I  find  Margery  have  changed  her  name  with  any  lub- 
berly chaw-bacon,  dang  me  if  I  don't  deal  him  a  clout 
he'll  remember,  good-now,  I  will." 

Turnpenny  relapsed  into  silence,  brooding  on  his  melan- 
choly forebodings. 

It  was  the  night  of  March  thirty-first.  Some  forty 
men  lay  in  the  scrub  overlooking  Nombre  de  Dios,  await- 
ing the  clang  of  mule-bells  that  would  announce  the  ap- 
proach of  a  treasure  train  from  Venta  Cruz.  Half  of 
them  were  French,  for  a  week  or  two  before,  as  Drake 
and  his  men  were  sportively  pitching  stones  at  the  land 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

crabs  on  the  shore,  a  ship  came  down  from  the  west, 
whose  captain  proved  to  be  a  French  Huguenot  named 
Le  Testu,  with  a  company  of  seventy  men  and  boys. 
They  were  perishing  for  want  of  water.  Having  obtained 
from  Drake  the  supplies  they  needed,  they  proposed  to 
join  themselves  to  him,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  some 
share  of  Spanish  gold. 

Drake  hesitated  to  admit  the  Frenchmen  to  a  partner- 
ship, for  he  had  but  thirty-one  men  left,  and  feared  that 
the  seventy  would  claim  too  large  a  portion  of  the  booty 
if  his  projected  attack  on  the  mule-train  should  succeed. 
But  the  matter  was  compromised  by  Captain  le  Testu 
joining  Drake  with  twenty  men.  These,  with  fifteen 
Englishmen  and  a  few  maroons,  sailed  in  two  of  Drake's 
pinnaces  for  the  mouth  of  the  Francisco  River,  fifteen 
miles  from  Nombre  de  Dios.  The  pinnaces  were  left  in 
charge  of  a  few  maroons,  who  were  ordered  to  remain 
in  hiding  in  the  Cabezas,  and  to  return  in  four  days' 
time  to  take  off  the  adventurers. 

Dennis  and  Turnpenny  were  among  those  who  accom- 
panied Drake  in  the  Minion.  They  had  won  great  praise 
from  him  for  their  exploits  in  Maiden  Isle  and  their 
capture  of  the  Spanish  ship,  whose  stores  of  food  and 
ammunition  were  very  welcome.  The  damage  to  the 
pinnace  was  speedily  repaired,  and  Drake  said  with  a 
laugh  that  had  she  been  rendered  unseaworthy  he  would 
not  have  allowed  Dennis  to  have  any  part  in  his  second 
attempt  on  the  mule-train. 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

The  company  of  adventurers  were  encamped  on  rising 
ground  above  the  town.  Taking  a  lesson  from  the  previ- 
ous failure,  the  men  spoke  in  the  lowest  of  whispers, 
although  they  were  a  mile  away  from  the  track.  All 
through  the  night  they  heard  the  clatter  of  hammers  from 
the  bay,  where  the  Spanish  shipwrights  were  preparing 
the  ships  of  the  treasure  fleet  for  sea.  The  ambuscaders 
were  grimly  resolved  that  the  cargoes  should  be  less  by 
the  weight  of  a  good  many  tons  of  silver  and  gold. 

The  hours  passed  too  slowly  for  the  impatient  adven- 
turers. But  at  length,  a  little  before  dawn,  they  heard  a 
faint  tinkle  of  bells  afar  in  the  woods,  and  soon  the  ma- 
roon scouts  came  in  with  the  news  that  three  trains,  num- 
bering nearly  two  hundred  mules  in  all,  were  approaching 
from  Venta  Cruz.  Instantly  the  men  seized  their  calivers 
and  bows  and  arrows,  and  hastened  to  the  trackway, 
where  as  before  they  posted  themselves  in  the  long  grass 
on  either  side. 

On  came  the  mules,  their  bells  jangling  and  clanging  in 
musical  discord.  In  the  grass  lurked  the  raiders,  silent — 
though  Turnpenny  gave  Dennis  a  nudge  and  whispered, 
"  Tis  All  Fools'  Day !"  Suddenly  there  sounded  a  blast 
from  Drake's  whistle;  the  men  started  up,  and,  sending 
a  volley  of  bullets  and  arrows  at  the  Spanish  infantrymen 
that  guarded  the  convoy,  made  straight  for  the  heads  of 
the  leading  mules.  The  march  being  stopped,  the  mules 
behind  lay  down  contentedly  on  the  ground.  But  the  sol- 
diers, who  had  blown  on  their  matches  as  they  marched, 

35* 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

to  keep  them  alight,  rallied  in  a  group  and  fired  back  at 
the  assailants.  A  maroon  was  killed  outright;  Captain 
le  Testu  fell  seriously  wounded;  but  the  rest,  kneeling 
down  and  supporting  their  weapons  on  the  prostrate 
mules,  briskly  returned  the  fire ;  then,  springing  up  before 
the  enemy  could  reload,  charged  upon  them  with  fierce 
cries  and  drove  them  helter-skelter  toward  the  town. 

Immediately  afterward  two  men  came  rushing  up  to 
Turnpenny. 

"Be  jowned  if  it  bean't  Billy  Hawk  and  fat  Baltizar !" 
he  cried  in  astonishment.  "Oh,  Billy,  poor  soul,  what  a 
scarecrow  'ee  do  look!  Get  out,  you  jelly!"  he  cried  to 
Baltizar,  speeding  him  with  a  kick.  "You  be  fat  as 
butter ;  all  is  well  with  'ee ;  get  'ee  to  the  town  after  your 
masters,  and  thank  God  your  oily  carcass  be  not  left  to 
fatten  the  land — Billy,  dear  heart,  what  hath  happened 
to  thee?" 

Hawk  told  his  story  while  Turnpenny  and  the  other 
seamen,  selecting  the  mules  that  bore  the  heaviest  loads, 
with  nimble  fingers  cast  off  their  packs,  unstrapped  them, 
and  helped  themselves  to  the  precious  contents — bars 
and  quoits  of  solid  gold,  and  silver  uncountable.  He 
had  followed  Biddle  and  the  other  mutineers  in  the  hope 
of  persuading  them  to  return  to  their  duty ;  but  they  had 
soon  fallen  upon  him,  robbed  him  of  his  bag  of  pearls, 
and  left  him  bound  in  the  forest.  There  he  had  been 
found  by  some  fugitives  from  the  routed  Spaniards,  who 
carried  him  to  their  vessel,  and  conveyed  him  to  Nombre 

353 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

de  Dios.  He  was  believed  to  be  one  of  Drake's  men, 
and  tortured  to  make  him  confess  where  his  captain's 
secret  haven  was ;  and  since  then  had  been  left  in  slavery, 
drudging  as  a  muleteer  between  Nombre  de  Dios  and 
Panama. 

"God  be  praised  we  have  found  'ee !"  cried  Turnpenny. 
"You  shall  come  back  with  us,  and  I'll  give  'ee  a  share 
of  all  my  treasure." 

The  raiders  did  up  in  bundles  and  bestowed  about 
their  persons  as  much  gold  and  silver  as  they  could  stag- 
ger under,  and  set  to  work  to  bury  what  they  could  not 
carry  in  the  burrows  of  land-crabs  and  under  the  great 
trunks  of  fallen  trees.  For  two  hours  they  toiled  on; 
then,  hearing  the  clatter  of  hoofs  from  the  direction  of 
the  town,  they  seized  their  booty  and  made  off  to  the 
woods.  Up  came  a  troop  of  horse ;  but  when  they  reached 
the  mules  they  halted,  for  they  heard  in  the  woods  the 
"Yo  peho!"  of  the  maroons,  and  shrank  from  engaging 
those  terrible  forest  fighters.  Staggering  under  the 
weight  of  their  treasure,  the  raiders  tramped  with  what 
haste  they  might  through  the  jungle.  They  had  not  gone 
far  when  Captain  le  Testu  lay  down  groaning;  weak 
from  loss  of  blood,  he  could  go  no  farther.  Two  of  his 
men  volunteered  to  stay  with  him,  and  help  him  on  after 
he  had  rested.  The  others  hurried  on,  and  after  two 
days  and  nights  of  struggling  through  the  forest, 
drenched  by  a  terrible  rainstorm,  reached  their  landing- 
place  on  the  bank  of  the  Francisco  River. 

354 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

It  was  four  days  since  they  had  left  it;  the  pinnaces 
should  have  been  there  awaiting  them ;  but  not  a  sign  of 
them  met  their  hungry  eyes.  Instead,  seven  Spanish 
pinnaces  were  observed  rowing  from  the  Cabezas,  where 
the  maroons  had  been  ordered  to  shelter.  The  drenched 
and  footsore  raiders  were  aghast.  Had  their  enemies 
captured  the  pinnaces,  and  slain  their  comrades?  Were 
they  to  be  imprisoned  in  this  swampy  jungle,  with  no 
means  of  sailing  or  rowing  away  to  Port  Diego?  Loud 
murmurs,  cries  of  despair,  curses  at  being  deserted,  broke 
from  the  seamen.  They  cried  out  that  they  were  be- 
trayed ;  that  the  Spaniards  would  fall  on  them  and  over- 
whelm them;  that  they  would  never  see  home  again. 
Drake  expostulated  with  them;  the  maroons  offered  to 
lead  them  the  sixteen  days'  journey  overland,  and  prom- 
ised, if  the  ships  proved  indeed  to  be  taken,  to  give  them 
shelter  in  their  villages.  But  the  men  cried  out  the  more ; 
some  threw  down  the  treasure  they  had  dared  so  much 
to  win,  and  began  to  cry  out  against  their  leader  himself. 

Then  Drake  showed  the  stuff  of  which  he  was  made. 

"Silence,  you  knaves!"  he  cried.  "Am  I  any  whit 
better  off  than  you?  Is  this  a  time  to  yield  to  craven 
fear?  Nay,  but  rather  to  pluck  up  heart  and  play  the 
man.  If  the  Spaniards  have  in  truth  taken  our  pinnaces, 
which  God  forbid,  yet  they  must  have  time  to  search 
them,  time  to  examine  the  mariners,  and  if  they  compel 
them  by  torture  to  confess  where  our  ships  are,  time  to 
execute  their  resolution  after  it  is  determined.  Before 

355 


ON   THE    SPANISH    MAIN 

all  these  times  be  taken,  we  may  get  to  our  ships,  if  ye 
will.  We  may  not  hope  to  go  by  land,  for  that  journey 
is  too  long  and  the  ways  too  foul.  But  we  may  surely 
go  by  water.  Look  at  the  trees  here  rolling  down  upon 
the  flood,  thrown  down  by  the  storm  that  beset  us  so 
sorely.  May  we  not  build  ourselves  a  raft,  and  put  our- 
selves to  sea?  I  will  be  one;  who  will  be  the  others?" 

"That  will  I,"  said  Dennis,  stepping  forward. 

"And  I,  too,  good-now,"  cried  Turnpenny. 

"Nay,  Master  Hazelrig,  you  I  will  leave  to  command 
these  timid  rascals  if  ill  befall  me ;  but  Amos  I  will  take 
and  go  fetch  those  laggard  pinnaces." 

Then  the  maroons,  taking  hands  and  forming  into  a 
line,  stepped  into  the  river  and  intercepted  the  trees  as 
they  came  down  on  the  torrent.  With  their  hatchets 
they  lopped  off  the  branches;  they  bound  the  trunks  to- 
gether with  leathern  thongs  taken  from  the  mules  and 
with  tendrils  of  creepers  from  the  jungle.  A  stout  sapling 
was  reared  as  a  mast,  and  with  his  own  hands  Turnpenny 
rigged  up  a  biscuit  sack  for  a  sail,  and  fashioned  a  crutch 
in  which  another  sapling  might  serve  as  a  rudder.  The 
raft  being  now  ready,  Drake  selected  two  of  the  French- 
men who  could  swim  well  to  accompany  him  and  Turn- 
penny, the  four  men  stepped  on  to  the  frail  craft,  and 
as  she  was  hauled  off  over  the  bar  at  the  river  mouth 
Drake  cried  out: 

"Be  of  good  cheer,  my  hearts;  if  it  please  God  I  put 
my  foot  in  safety  aboard  my  frigate,  I  shall,  God  willing, 

356 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

by  one  means  or  other,  get  ye  all  aboard,  in  despite  of 
all  the  Spaniards  in  the  Indies." 

And  the  seamen,  with  new  hope  born  within  their 
breasts,  sped  their  gallant  captain  with  a  cheer. 

"My  heart,  'twas  a  fearsome  voyage !"  said  Turnpenny, 
relating  the  adventure  to  Dennis  afterward.  "We  sat 
inches  deep  in  water,  holding  on  for  very  life,  and  the 
sea  came  tumbling  aboard,  swingeing  us  to  the  armpits 
at  every  surge  of  the  waves.  We  scudded  along  before 
the  wind,  but  though  'twas  strong,  it  scarce  tempered 
the  great  heat,  and  what  with  the  parching  of  the  sun 
and  what  with  the  beating  of  the  salt  water,  we  had  all 
of  us  our  skins  much  fretted  away.  We  had  sailed  for 
six  hours,  and  were  making  our  third  league,  when  God 
gave  us  the  sight  of  two  pinnaces  bearing  toward  us. 
'God  be  praised!'  cried  our  captain;  'there  is  now  no 
cause  to  fear!'  But  the  sky  was  become  dark,  and  the 
men  on  the  pinnaces,  as  they  labored  toward  us,  the  wind 
driving  the  spray  into  their  eyes,  did  not  perceive  us; 
and  the  gale  being  exceeding  fierce,  they  bore  up  to  the 
lee  of  a  point  of  land,  and  vanished  from  our  sight. 
Whereupon  our  captain  ran  ashore  to  windward  of  the 
headland,  and  being  mightily  enraged  for  that  the  knaves 
had  not  obeyed  his  command  to  wait  us  at  the  river,  he 
was  minded  to  play  a  trick  on  them  and  turn  their  hearts 
sick  with  very  fear.  So  when  we  did  land,  we  ran  in 
great  haste  toward  where  the  pinnaces  were  at  anchor, 
making  such  speed  as  if  we  had  been  chased  by  the 

357 


ON   THE   SPANISH   MAIN 

enemy.  My  heart,  their  eyes  were  astare  with  fear  when 
they  espied  us.  They  hauled  us  aboard  their  boats,  crying 
out,  this  one  and  that,  'Where  be  our  comrades?'  'How 
fares  it  with  them?'  and  other  such  questions,  to  all  of 
which  our  captain  in  a  cold  voice  did  answer  only  'Well !' 
Whereupon  they  began  to  lament  with  tears,  crying  out 
that  verily  their  dear-comrades  were  dead  or  in  captivity. 

"Our  captain  for  a  space  looked  sternly  upon  them  in 
their  misery.  But  then,  being  willing  to  rid  all  doubts 
and  fill  them  with  joy,  he  took  from  out  his  shirt  a  quoit 
of  gold,  and  bade  them  praise  God,  for  their  comrades 
were  safe  and  had  of  that  treasure  enough  and  for  all. 
Then  he  commanded  them  to  get  their  anchors  up,  for 
that  he  was  resolved  that  very  night  to  come  back  to  the 
river.  And  we  rowed  hard  through  the  darkness  and  in 
the  teeth  of  the  gale,  and  here  we  be,  with  blistered  skins 
indeed,  but  sound  men  and  hearty." 

Dennis  had  collected  the  men  on  the  shore,  and  built 
a  fire  to  keep  their  spirits  up.  With  great  joy  they  heard 
their  comrades  hailing  them  as  the  vessels  came  up  out 
of  the  dark,  and  they  begged  Drake's  forgiveness  for 
their  mutinous  murmurs.  As  soon  as  day  dawned  they 
embarked ;  the  pinnaces  ran  before  the  wind,  picked  up  the 
men  left  at  the  Cabezas,  and  before  noon  arrived  safely 
at  Port  Diego.  The  treasure  was  carried  on  shore,  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  smooth,  open  space,  amidst  cries  of 
wonderment  from  those  who  had  not  had  a  part  in  the 
adventure,  Drake  weighed  the  gold  and  silver  on  the 

358 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

steward's  meat-scales,  delivering  to  the  Frenchmen  the 
half  agreed  upon.  Then  they  sailed  away  westward,  to 
get  news  of  their  ill-fated  captain. 

Drake  was  not  easy  in  mind  about  Le  Testu.  It  was 
pitiful  to  think  of  him  wounded  and  left  with  only  two  of 
his  men  deep  in  the  woods.  So  while  the  vessel,  the 
Pascha,  too  foul  to  be  easily  fitted  for  the  voyage  home, 
was  being  stripped  to  equip  the  Spanish  frigate  Dennis 
had  captured,  he  prepared  to  lead  an  expedition  in  search 
of  the  French  captain.  But  his  men  raised  such  an  outcry 
at  his  leaving  them  that  he  gave  the  command  to  Oxnam, 
contenting  himself  with  accompanying  them  to  the  Fran- 
cisco River. 

Oxnam  had  not  gone  far  up-stream  when  a  haggard 
figure  emerged  tottering  from  the  reeds,  and,  falling  on 
his  knees,  burst  into  tears  and  thanked  God  that  help  had 
come.  Not  many  minutes  after  Drake  had  left  him  and 
his  comrade  with  Captain  le  Testu,  some  Spanish  har- 
quebusiers  came  upon  them.  The  captain  bade  the  two 
men  flee,  and  they  ran  off  in  haste,  carrying  their  treasure. 
But  the  Spaniards  gave  chase,  and  this  man,  fearing  that, 
burdened  as  he  was,  he  must  be  overtaken,  flung  away 
his  possessions  one  after  another.  Among  them  was  a 
box  of  jewels  which  his  comrade  stopped  to  pick  up. 
The  delay  was  fatal.  He  was  caught  and  carried  away 
with  the  captain.  The  other  fugitive  was  not  farther 
pursued;  he  reached  the  river  after  wandering  for  sev- 
eral days,  during  which  he  had  seen  a  great  host  of  near 

359 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

two  thousand  Spaniards  and  negroes  searching  for  the 
treasure  that  had  been  buried. 

Hearing  this,  Oxnam  was  not  willing  to  return  until  he 
had  seen  whether  anything  was  left.  The  Spaniards 
had  dug  up  the  ground  for  nearly  a  square  mile;  but 
Oxnam  found  in  the  crab-holes  a  small  quantity  of  gold, 
with  silver  weighing  about  five  hundred  pounds.  Loaded 
with  this,  and  overjoyed  at  their  success,  his  men  quickly 
returned  to  their  pinnace,  and  came  merrily  back  to 
Port  Diego. 

Now  all  thoughts  turned  longingly  homeward.  The 
value  of  the  treasure  taken  from  the  Spaniards  was  near 
fifty  thousand  pounds,  and  it  was  not  to  be  supposed 
that  so  great  a  loss  would  be  accepted  with  equanimity. 
Before  long  ships-of-war  would  doubtless  be  fitted  out 
to  punish  this  audacious  sea-rover  who  had  made  himself 
a  terror  throughout  the  Main,  and  Drake  thought  it  but 
prudent  to  get  away  with  his  booty  before  his  little  band 
was  overwhelmed.  He  still  needed  a  vessel  to  serve  as 
victualer  to  the  frigate  in  which  he  purposed  to  sail  for 
England.  With  his  usual  daring  he  set  off  for  the  mouth 
of  the  Grande  River,  running  right  under  the  guns  of 
Cartagena.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  he  chased  and 
boarded  a  frigate  that  endeavored  to  slip  past  him  to 
the  west,  and,  returning  to  the  Cabezas  with  his  prize, 
he  unloaded  her  cargo  of  maize,  hops  and  wild  honey, 
and  prepared  for  the  voyage  home. 

All  hands  were  set  to  break  up  the  pinnaces,  which 

360 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

had  been  brought  in  sections  from  England,  and  were 
now,  after  a  year's  sailing,  past  further  service.  Their 
timbers  were  burned  on  the  beach;  their  ironwork  was 
given  to  the  maroons.  The  two  frigates  were  over- 
hauled, their  keels  cleared  of  barnacles,  their  spars  and 
rigging  put  in  good  repair,  their  holds  filled  with  a  plen- 
tiful store  of  food.  Then,  when  all  was  ready,  Drake 
invited  Pedro,  the  maroon  chief,  and  three  of  his  best 
men  to  choose  some  reward  for  their  good  and  loyal 
service.  Pedro  took  a  great  fancy  to  a  splendid  simitar 
which  had  been  given  to  Drake  by  Captain  le  Testu  and 
had  once  belonged  to  the  King  of  France.  Drake  would 
rather  he  had  chosen  something  else,  but  he  handed  over 
the  weapon  with  a  good  grace,  and  accompanied  it  with 
a  present  of  silk  and  fine  cloth  for  the  maroons'  wives. 
Pedro  was  so  much  delighted  that  he  begged  Drake  to 
accept  four  wedges  of  gold  in  return,  which  the  captain 
threw  into  the  common  stock,  saying  it  was  only  just  that 
those  who  had  shared  with  him  the  dangers  and  hard- 
ships of  the  adventures  should  share  also  in  the  full 
profits. 

Dennis  did  not  part  from  Juan  without  giving  him  a 
token  of  his  thanks  and  a  memento  of  their  common  ad- 
ventures. He  had  lost  almost  all  that  he  had  saved  from 
the  Maid  Marian;  with  the  Mirandola  it  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  Spaniards ;  and  the  division  of  the  spoils 
of  the  mule-train  would  not  be  made  until  they  reached 
Plymouth.  But  he  had  always  kept  the  sword  of  Sir 

361 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

Martin  Blunt,  and  this  he  gave  to  Juan,  who  received  it 
with  great  satisfaction. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  July  the  company  went  aboard 
the  two  frigates;  the  anchors  were  heaved,  all  sail  was 
set,  and  the  little  craft  stood  out  to  sea.  The  flag  of 
St.  George  flew  at  their  maintops;  silk  streamers  and 
ensigns  dipped  down  to  the  water;  a  parting  salute  was 
fired ;  the  trumpeters  blew  a  blast ;  and  the  English  mari- 
ners shouted  a  farewell  cheer  to  the  maroons  gathered 
on  the  beach.  High  up  in  the  rigging  sat  a  monkey, 
blinking  and  chattering,  wondering,  perhaps,  into  what 
new  countries  and  further  perils  his  adventurous  master 
would  lead  him. 

"There  is  our  Maiden  Isle,"  said  Dennis  to  Turnpenny, 
as  they  sailed  merrily  northward.  "My  vice-royalty  was 
but  brief;  and  methinks  'tis  but  a  poor  jewel  in  the  crown 
of  Queen  Bess.  Yet  it  will  be  a  precious  jewel  in  my 
memory,  for  there  I  found  a  true  friend  in  thee,  Amos, 
and  we  two  have  been  enabled  by  God's  providence  to  do 
somewhat  for  our  countrymen  in  distress." 

"Good-now,  Master  Hazelrig,"  said  Drake,  coming  up 
to  them;  "art  wishing  to  return  and  set  up  a  monarchy 
on  yonder  small  isle?" 

"Nay,  sir,  it  is  already  bespoke  for  our  gracious  queen, 
though  meseems  the  sovereignty  belongs  to  Mirandola, 
who  now  sits  aloft,  with  a  most  wistful  look." 

"Well,  my  lad,  maybe  you  and  I  shall  live  to  see  her 
Majesty's  sway  extend  over  all  these  islands,  and  far 

362 


THE  MULE-TRAINS 

beyond.  Meantime,  what  think  'ee  is  my  dearest  wish 
at  this  moment?" 

"I  know  not,  sir.*' 

"Why,"  said  Drake  with  a  smile,  "  'tis  to  bowl  at  the 
jack  once  more  on  Plymouth  Hoe." 


363 


CONCLUSION 

Little  more  than  three  weeks  later,  on  Sunday,  August 
ninth,  1573,  about  noon,  the  congregation  in  St  An- 
drew's church  at  Plymouth  were  startled  into  wakefulness 
by  the  booming  of  guns.  The  vicar  was  in  the  midst  of 
his  sermon,  and  the  good  people  were  torn  between  their 
desire  not  to  offend  the  worthy  parson  and  their  longing 
to  see  what  was  happening  at  the  harbor.  A  few  minutes 
passed ;  then  a  whisper  began  to  run  through  the  pews. 
"Master  Drake  is  home  again !"  One  looked  at  another ; 
anxious  eyes  were  cast  at  the  high  pews  where  the  gentry 
sat;  then,  by  ones  and  twos  and  threes,  the  people  stole 
from  the  church,  and,  when  once  outside,  set  off  running 
with  all  their  might  to  the  harbor.  And  before  they  got 
there  a  merry  peal  of  bells  rang  out  behind  them.  The 
ringers  in  the  belfry,  knowing,  we  must  suppose,  that 
their  vicar  was  an  easy  man,  a  patriot,  and  a  Devonian 
to  boot,  were  handling  the  ropes  most  lustily. 

The  two  little  frigates  had  just  dropped  anchor,  and 
the  men  were  putting  off  in  boats.  On  shore  men  shouted, 
women  wept  and  waved  handkerchiefs,  boys  yelled  and 
got  in  the  way  of  their  elders;  but  nobody  minded,  for 
was  not  Master  Drake  home  again?  Deafening  cheers 

364 


CONCLUSION 

rent  the  air  as  he  landed ;  hundreds  thronged  around  him 
to  clasp  his  hand. 

"Good-now,  dear  friends,"  he  said  with  a  laugh  as  he 
passed  through,  "ye'll  do  me  more  hurt  than  the  Span- 
iards ever  did." 

"Huzzay !  huzzay !  Spaniards  be  jowned !  What  have 
'ee  got  in  thikky  ships,  Master  Drake?" 

"Where  be  Bobby  Pike?"  cried  a  buxom  dame  with 
half  a  dozen  children  clinging  to  her  skirts. 

"Here  I  be,  Mally,"  cried  the  seaman,  catching  her  in 
his  arms,  "and  i'  fecks,  I'll  be  sober  for  ever  more,  my 
lass." 

"On  my  soul  and  body,  there  be  Ned  Whiddon,  and 
Tom  Copstone,  and  Hugh  Curder,  and  Billy  Hawk!" 
cried  several  voices  in  the  crowd.  "Huzzay !  huzzay !  we 
never  thought  to  see  'ee  more." 

"And  Haymoss  Turnpenny !  Od's  my  life,  what  a  day 
for  Margery  Tutt!" 

And  when  Dennis  got  clear  of  the  press,  among  whom 
there  was  none  he  knew,  he  saw  Amos  marching  along 
with  a  girl  on  each  arm,  his  ruddy  face  beaming  like  the 
rising  sun. 

"Why,  Amos,"  said  Dennis,  "are  there  two  Margerys  ?" 

"My  heart,  I  know  a  score!"  cried  Amos.  "But  this 
be  Margery  Tutt,  sir,  thikky  wench  on  my  left.  Loose 
my  arm,  lass,  and  drop  a  curtsey  to  Master  Hazelrig,  for 
'ithout  him  I'd  never  have  been  here  this  day.  She've 
waited  for  me,  sir,  bided  single  for  my  sake,  and  there's 

365 


no  landlubber  to  whop  after  all.  T'other  wench  be  Tom 
Copstone's  Joan ;  his  mother's  most  terrible  jealous,  and 
she've  got  ahold  of  Tom  now;  so  'You  and  me,  Hay- 
moss!'  he  sings  out,  and  I've  got  his  Joan  under  convoy 
till  the  old  'ooman's  done  a-kissing  of  him.  Margery,  lass, 
if  'ee  be  willing,  I'll  go  and  see  pa'son  this  very  day  and  ax 
him  to  call  us  next  Sunday,  for  I've  gold  and  silver  and 
pearls,  lass,  and  won't  they  become  your  little  plum  neck ! 
Master  Hazelrig,  I  do  pity  'ee,  I  do  so.  Bean't  there  a 
lass  to  welcome  'ee?  Good-now,  bear  up,  for  'ee  be  but 
a  stripling  yet." 

And  then  he  was  borne  away  by  the  crowd,  and  Dennis 
saw  him  no  more  that  day. 

Dennis  found  himself,  when  the  treasure  was  divided, 
the  possessor  of  two  thousand  pounds  in  money  in  ad- 
"dition  to  the  pearls  he  had  got  at  Fort  Aguila.  He 
devoted  a  goodly  sum  to  the  erection  of  a  monument  in 
his  parish  church  to  the  memory  of  Sir  Martin  Blunt 
and  the  other  adventurers  who  had  sailed  in  the  Maid 
Marian  eighteen  months  before.  A  smaller  amount  suf- 
ficed for  a  stone  over  the  grave  of  Mirandola,  who  died 
in  the  following  winter.  The  greater  part  of  the  money 
Dennis  gave  into  the  hands  of  John  Holies,  his  steward, 
who  received  it  with  all  due  gravity,  expressing  the  hope 
that  his  young  master  had  had  his  fill  of  adventuring  and 
would  now  remain  at  home. 

For  a  time  Dennis  was  content  to  live  in  Shaston.  But 
four  years  later,  learning  that  Drake  was  fitting  out  five 

366 


CONCLUSION 

ships  for  a  voyage  round  the  world,  he  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  join  the  expedition  at  his  own  charge.  His  offer  was 
accepted,  and  he  shared  in  the  joys  and  sorrows,  the 
failures  and  successes,  of  that  three  years'  voyage.  With 
closer  intercourse  he  admired  the  great  captain  more  and 
more;  and  Drake  on  his  part  came  to  regard  him  with 
peculiar  affection.  During  the  five  years  spent  on  shore, 
Sir  Francis,  as  he  now  was,  paid  many  visits  to  the  house 
at  Shaston,  and  often  played  bowls  with  Dennis  on  the 
lawn  behind. 

In  1585,  when  Drake  went  out  to  the  West  Indies  with 
a  direct  commission  from  the  queen,  Dennis  was  of  his 
company.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  the  town  of 
St.  Domingo  when  it  was  assaulted;  and  in  the  subse- 
quent attack  on  Cartagena  he  was  somewhat  seriously 
wounded,  and  did  not  recover  in  time  to  take  part  in  the 
famous  expedition  to  Cadiz,  when  Drake  "singed  the 
King  of  Spain's  beard."  But  next  year,  when  all  Eng- 
land was  stirred  at  the  news  that  the  long-expected 
Armada  was  at  last  approaching,  Dennis  joined  Drake 
on  the  Revenge  and  had  his  part  in  the  work  of  fighting 
in  the  Channel  and  the  North  Sea. 

At  the  conclusion  of  this  year,  Dennis,  in  his  thirty- 
fourth  year,  married  the  daughter  of  a  neighboring 
squire.  Her  name  happened  to  be  Margery.  Soon  after 
the  marriage  Dennis  took  her  to  Plymouth  on  a  visit  to 
his  old  comrade  Amos  Turnpenny,  who  was  now  blest 
with  a  family  of  five  boys  and  three  girls. 

367 


ON   THE    SPANISH   MAIN 

"Do  'ee  mind,  sir,"  said  Amos  with  a  twinkling  eye, 
"do  'ee  mind  the  day  when  we  landed,  and  you  axed  me 
whether  there  were  two  Margerys?  Seems  as  if  there 
be,  sir,  and  more;  your  madam  for  one,  and  my  'ooman 
be  two,  and  my  darter  yonder  be  three,  and  Tom  Cop- 
stone's  darter  be  four,  and  I  shouldn't  be  mazed  if  there 
was  five  some  day.  'A  good  name,'  says  the  Book,  'is 
rayther  to  be  chosen  than  great  riches!'  Margery  be  a 
good  name,  to  be  sure."  *?. 

Dennis  Hazelrig  became  a  man  of  weight  in  his  county. 
His  wife  and  little  daughter — the  fifth  Margery — dis- 
suaded him  from  joining  Drake  and  Hawkins  in  their 
fatal  expedition  to  the  Main  in  1594,  and  he  found  an 
outlet  for  his  energies  in  organizing  the  yeomanry  of 
Devon.  When  James  the  First  came  to  the  throne  he 
received  the  honor  of  knighthood,  and  none  of  his  old 
friends  was  more  delighted  than  Amos  Turnpenny,  who 
was  by  this  time  a  hale  old  grandfather,  and  nearly  eighty. 

"Ay,  I  says  to  Tom  Copstone  when  I  heard  the  news, 
'Tom,'  says  I,  'we've  a  king  again  now,  my  lad,  and  what 
be  fust  thing  'ee  done,  think  'ee  ?'  'Be  jowned  if  I  know,' 
says  Tom.  (He  do  have  common  ways  o'  speech,  poor 
soul!)  'Why,  'fecks,'  says  I,  'he  bin  and  made  Master 
Hazelrig  a  noble  knight,  and  we  must  call  him  Sir  Dennis 
to's  face  for  ever  more.'  'Well,'  says  Tom,  'we  won't 
mind  that — you  and  me,  Haymoss?'  And  be  jowned  if 
they  were  not  the  very  words  of  my  dream  I"1 

THE   END 


A    000038513    8 


